SRINAGAR: Five members of a family including three children were killed and two sisters injured in fresh exchange of fire along Line of Control in Mendhar area of Poonch district in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday morning. 

The district officials in Poonch, around 235 kms drive from winter capital Jammu, informed that heavy shelling started at around 7:45am, which was continuing till the last reports came in.

“Firing was reported in some areas earlier also, but no loss of life was reported. However on Sunday morning around 7:45 am heavy firing started in Balakote and Mankote areas in which five members of family were killed and two others injured,” a senior district official told ET.

The family members who were killed, have been identified as Mohammad Ramzan, 35, his wife Malika Bi, 32 and their children Abdul Rehman, 14, Mohammad Rizwan, 12 and Razaq Ramzan, 7. Two daughters of Mohammad Ramzan, a resident of Devta Sargloon in Mendhar, Nasreen Kaunsar, 11 and Mehreen Kaunsar, 5, were injured in the shelling.

Former J&K chief ministers and opposition National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, expressed shock and grief over killing of five civilians due to cross LoC shelling. “Reiterate appeal for immediate restoration of ceasefire. Extend heartfelt condolences to the kith and kin of the deceased,” NC tweeted.

India and Pakistan signed a ceasefire agreement in November 2003, which both countries have violated several times, especially when the political relationship between the two nuclear neighbors deteriorates. The exchange of fire along LoC and international border amplified over past two years as political relations between the two countries hit a new low after initial bonhomie, when Narendra Modi led NDA took over in New Delhi in 2014. The continued exchange of fire along LoC hugely impacted cross LoC trade from Poonch as well, which remained closed for many months in 2017.

According to official data of government of India, from zero CFVs in 2004 Pakistan was involved in 583 violations in 2014, 405 CFVs in 2015 and 449 in 2016. The number has increased to more than 881 CFVs in 2017 and 192 in first month of 2018. From 2014 to January 2018, 55 civilians and 50 BSF and Army personnel were killed due to CFVs along IB and LoC.

On the other side, the Foreign Office of Pakistan in a briefing on March 03, claimed that India carried out more than 415 ceasefire violations in 2018 resulting in killing of 20 civilians from their side. In 2017, Pakistan claims that India carried out 1970 ceasefire violations along the LoC and border. 

In wake of the continued exchange of fire on border, government of India has sanctioned Rs 415 crore for construction of 1431 community bunkers with the capacity of 40 persons each and 13029 bunkers, with the capital of eight persons each to avoid any human loss during the exchange fire between the two countries.