Pakistan army says Indian mortar fire killed 4 civilians

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The Pakistan army has said that at least four civilians were killed by mortars fired by India along the Working Boundary in eastern Punjab Province.

"The Indian BSF (Border Security Force) resorted to unprovoked firing of mortars targeting civilian population along Working Boundary in village Bini Sulariyan in Charwa Sector," the army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement late Thursday.

"Four innocent citizens including two women embraced shahadat (martyrdom)," the statement said.

Inter-Services Public Relations Website Screenshot.

"Pakistan paramilitary troops befittingly responded on posts targeting civil population," the statement added.

It is the second time Indian forces fired into Pakistani areas along the Working Boundary in 10 days.

Pakistan said on September 13 that at least one civilian was killed by firing along the Working Boundary in Phuklian Sector.

Pakistan and India had declared a ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) in the disputed Kashmir region and the Working Boundary in 2003. Both, however, routinely accuse each other of violating the ceasefire.

January 11, 2013: An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) soldier patrols near the fenced border with Pakistan in Suchetgarh, southwest of Jammu. /Reuters Photo

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said on September 4 that Indian forces have had more than 700 ceasefire violations in 2017 along the LoC and the Working Boundary, resulting in the death of 30 innocent civilians and 113 injuries. This is almost double the number of violations that occurred in 2016.

The Indian military blamed the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad group for the attack and also pointed fingers at Pakistan. However, Islamabad rejected the charges and suggested an independent investigation.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency