Firing continues at Indo-Pak border

There was firing again on Friday morning at the Border Security Force (BSF) post on the India-Pakistan border near Jammu where two BSF troopers had been injured late on Thursday.

A senior BSF official said there was firing again from the Pakistan side on the Nikowal border post, about 30 km west of this winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir.

The firing on the post began late on Thursday when two BSF troopers were injured. The Indian side had retaliated after the first bullet hit the post. "After last night's lull there was firing again at the same post to which we have again retaliated," said the official.

He said the BSF was trying to ascertain the source of the firing. It was unclear whether the firing was from militants trying to sneak into India or from Pakistani Rangers, the border guards of that country.

"The preliminary assessment points more to militants trying to infiltrate to this side," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He added that the BSF had carried out a check of the three-tiered barbed wire fence from a distance and "there appears no breach, which scales down the possibility of the infiltration having succeeded. But there will be a closer look at the fence once we are sure that firing has stopped. If it was fire from Pakistani Rangers, then it can be termed as yet another ceasefire violation."

India has erected a barbed wire fence inside Indian territory to check cross border infiltration along the 220-km international border in the Jammu region as well as 720 km of the Line of Control (LoC) that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. The BSF guards the border while the army is deployed along the LoC.

The security around the post under fire has been increased, and checkpoints erected at various points leading to this city. "We cannot rule out the possibility of militants having infiltrated. There are reports of militants stepping up infiltration and planning strikes around the festival season," said a senior police officer in Jammu.

The Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Fitr is on Monday while the Hindu festival of Navratra starts on Saturday. Both bring thousands of people out on the streets.

Senior BSF and police officials have been camping in the Nikowal area since Thursday evening.