Jammu, Feb 22 (IANS) An Army soldier was injured on Saturday in a landmine explosion near the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.
Officials said that during routine patrolling near LoC, an Army personnel accidentally stepped over a landmine triggering an explosion.
“In this incident, the Army soldier received injuries and was immediately airlifted to Udhampur Army Hospital for advanced treatment. He has been identified as Naik Deepak Kumar. Saturday’s landmine explosion near the LoC took place a day after the flag meeting attended by brigade commanders of the two armies at Chakan Da Bagh LoC crossing in Poonch district. To de-escalate tension on the LoC in the wake of recent incidents of cross-LoC firing and an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in which two soldiers, including a captain, were killed, the flag meeting was held, officials said.
The Brigade commander-level flag meeting was held at the LoC crossing point, Chakan Da Bagh.
“Both sides held that maintaining peace and tranquillity on the borders was essential. The meeting lasted around 75 minutes and was held in a congenial atmosphere. During the meeting, both sides agreed to honour the ceasefire agreement in the larger interest of peace on the borders,” said officials.
Since the ceasefire agreement came into effect, a modicum of normalcy returned to the lives of thousands of villagers living on the two sides of the LoC in India and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
“The ceasefire violations along the borders of Jammu and Kashmir have been rare since the two countries renewed an agreement on February 25, 2021,” the officials said.
In addition to the martyrdom of two Indian Army soldiers in the Akhnoor sector of the LoC on February 11, two other soldiers were injured in firing from the Pakistan side of the LoC in the Poonch and Rajouri districts.
The Army retaliated the cross-border firing in the Poonch sector and reports said casualties were suffered on the Pakistan side.
The Army and the security forces have been maintaining high vigil on the LoC and the hinterland because the traditional infiltration routes have remained open this winter due to scant snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired two security review meetings on J&K.
During those meetings, Union Minister Shah gave orders to the security forces to ensure zero infiltration and zero tolerance for terrorists.
Lt Governor Manoj Sinha also chaired two security meetings recently, one in Srinagar and the other in Jammu.
The Lt Governor asked the police and the security forces to dismantle the terror ecosystem by targeting terrorists, their over-ground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers.
–IANS
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