Srinagar, Nov. 4: Pakistani troops fired rockets and bullets on Indian positions in Jammu, injuring two Border Security Force soldiers and renewing fears of increased cross-border skirmishes ahead of the Assembly elections.

K. Srinivasan, DIG at the BSF’s New Delhi headquarters, said a rocket was fired around midnight at the Durga post in the Makwall-Chicken Neck area of the border. “It was followed by firing. We also retaliated and the exchange of fire continued for half an hour,” he said.

“After that a search operation was undertaken. There was no damage to the border fencing and it seems the rocket was fired from a distance but a thermal detector was damaged. We are still looking whether any militant might have been killed on the other side by our firing.”

This was the second ceasefire violation by Pakistan in the state in a week.

The firing was reportedly aimed at pushing more militants into Jammu possibly to disrupt the polls beginning on November 17. The BSF officer said the thermal detectors had earlier spotted some movement on the border, which could have been that of militants intending to sneak in.

The BSF will lodge a strong protest with the Pakistani Rangers for the ceasefire violation. “We will strongly protest the violation on the IB (international border),” Srinivasan said.

In December 2007, Pakistani troops had violated the 2003 ceasefire when they opened small- and medium-arms fire on the Indian posts in the Sabzian area along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu’s Poonch sector.

This year, there have been 32 ceasefire violations in the state, primarily to offer covering fire to infiltrators.

In August, a group of militants cut the border fence and crossed into Jammu, where they took a family hostage at Chinore. A day-long rescue operation left around 12 persons dead, including the three militants.

On October 16, at the two-day bi-annual meeting between the Pakistan Rangers and the BSF, director-general Lt Gen. Mohammad Yaqoob Khan had promised additional director-general U.K. Bansal there would be no ceasefire violations henceforth, adds PTI.