Defence Ministry Spokesperson Lt Colonel Devender Anand said the firing resulted in several casualties on the Pakistani side. Five Indian soldiers also sustained minor injuries during the gunfight

The ceasefire violation by Pakistan came hours after the IAF struck at the Balakot terror camp in Pakistan.

Five Pakistani posts were destroyed as the Indian Army retaliated to unprovoked cross border heavy shelling and firing of missiles late Tuesday night. Defence Ministry Spokesperson Lt Colonel Devender Anand said the firing resulted in several casualties on the Pakistani side.

Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by “shelling with heavy calibre weapons at 12 to 15 places along the Line of Control” from 6.30 pm onwards. Pakistani troops were also seen “firing mortars and missiles from civilian houses using villagers as human shields”, Lt Col Anand added.

The Indian army retaliated “and our focused firing resulted in severe destruction of five Pakistani posts and a number of casualties to Pak Army”, he said, adding that five Indian soldiers sustained minor injuries and of them, two were evacuated to military hospital for medical treatment. Their condition was stable, he added. Read in Bangla

Jammu and Kashmir Police, reacting to reports of shelling in North Kashmir’s Uri, said:”Few shells landed in Kamalkote nallah and near Kaalgi (in Uri) no loss of life reported however people are being shifted to safer locations.”

Meanwhile, sources said that Pakistani troops fired 120 mm mortars targeting civilian hamlets and forward posts, apart from small and automatic weapons in Krishna Gate, Balakote, Karmara, Mankote, Tarkundi areas of Poonch, Kalal, Baba Khori, Kalsian, Laam and Jhangar in Rajouri districts and Pallanwala and Laleali sub-sectors in Jammu’s Akhnoor sector. In Mankote sector of Poonch, two houses were damaged, sources said. The Indian Army responded to the unprovoked firing.

The ceasefire violation by Pakistan came hours after the IAF struck at the Balakot terror camp in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, two Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists were killed in an encounter in Shopian on Wednesday. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the site of the encounter, officials told The Indian Express.