BSF personnel injured in unprovoked firing by Pakistani troops

A Border Security Force (BSF) personnel was injured in firing by Pakistani troops in the Akhnoor area of Jammu early on September 11, violating the ceasefire agreement in place along the Indo-Pak border.

The BSF responded immediately to unprovoked firing reported at around 2.35 am. Casualties, if any, on the Pakistani side remain unknown. “One BSF personnel sustained injuries in Pak firing. Troops are on high alert,” the BSF said. Such violations have been rare after the neighbours renewed the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021.

This recent ceasefire breach comes at a sensitive time, as Jammu and Kashmir prepares for its first assembly elections in a decade. The three-phase elections will begin on September 18, continuing on September 25 and October 1. Security has been heightened, with an influx of paramilitary forces mobilized in the region. The Union government, in preparation for these elections, has deployed around 450 additional companies of paramilitary forces, a continuation of the security arrangements made for the Amarnath Yatra earlier this year. BSF Director General Daljit Singh had also conducted a security review of the Jammu border in late August.

Since March-April 2024, intelligence reports suggest that 60 to 80 terrorists may have infiltrated the Jammu region, prompting intensified counter-insurgency operations. The security forces remain on high alert to ensure peace and stability ahead of the elections.