Srinagar, April 23: Pakistan on Monday once again resorted to ceasefire violation along the International Border in Jammu's Poonch district. According to reports, the Pakistani Rangers unleashed heavy mortar shelling on the Indian side in a bid to inflict damage.

The Indian Army had launched retaliatory firing in response to the violation of ceasefire. No civilian or military casualties were reported on either sides by the time this report was first published.

The year 2018 witnessed an unprecedented rise in ceasefire violations, with over 500 instances of unprovoked firing being recorded in first four months. On the Indian side, 15 Army jawans and four Border Security Force (BSF) personnel lost their lives in the truce violation. 14 other armed forces personnel were also left injured.

The civilian death toll due to the ceasefire violations has climbed to 14, whereas, those injured are being reported to be 79.

"Appropriate response to these ceasefire violations has been carried out wherever necessary. During ceasefire violations, the inhabitants of border villages, which are vulnerable to shelling and firing, are shifted to safer locations to prevent any loss of life. All arrangements are made to shift them to safer locations," Minister of State For Defence Subhash Bhamre said while answering the query on ceasefire violations in the Rajya Sabha.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2018 07:03 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).