Srinagar, May 20: Pakistan Rangers today called the Border Security Force (BSF) and urged to stop retaliatory firing along the International Border (IB). The BSF retaliated with heavy artillery firing which killed one soldier of Pakistan Rangers. The border guarding force also released 19-second thermal-imagery footage showing the destruction of a Pakistani bunker across the border in retaliation to the unprovoked firing and shelling along the IB.

A BSF spokesperson said, “Pakistan Rangers called up Jammu BSF formation today and beseeched to stop firing.” A senior official told PTI, "The befitting reply by BSF units to the unprovoked shelling and firing across the IB by Pakistani forces has forced them to plead for ceasefire.”

This is not the first time Pakistan Rangers has called the BSF to stop the retaliatory firing. In 2015 also, a top commander of Pakistan's border guarding force called up the BSF chief to urge Indian troops to stop their retaliatory firing.

In the first week of January this year, the BSF killed minimum 10 Pakistan troopers in retaliatory firing, however, BSF has not revealed an official figure of the number of Pakistani troops killed in the firing. In another incident of ceasefire violation incident along the Line of Control (LoC) on April 19, the Indian Army soldier lost his life.

On May 18, four civilians and a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan lost their lives in two separate incidents of ceasefire violation in Jammu and Kashmir. BSF jawan Sitaram Upadhyay who lost his life in the ceasefire violation in RS Pura Sector hailed from Jharkhand.

Jammu and Kashmir witnessed an increase in Pakistani shelling and firing along the IB and the Line of Control (LoC) this year. Over 700 ceasefire fire violation incidents by Pakistan have been reported so far. A total of 20 civilians were killed in ceasefire violation and 18 security personnel also lost their lives. According to a data released by South Asian terrorism portal, in the first two months of the 2018, A total of 633 ceasefire violation incidents were reported.

In 2016, Pakistan violated ceasefire 228 times along the LoC and 221 times along IB, whereas in 2017 there was a sharp rise in the ceasefire violation incidents by Pakistan. A total of 860 times ceasefire violation took place along the LoC and 111 times along the IB. In April this year seven ceasefire violation incidents took place.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 20, 2018 04:27 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).