Undeterred by continuous mortar shell blasts and rattle of heavy machine guns aiming their posts, Indian jawans brave bad weather and inhospitable terrain to keep a 'hawk's eye' on the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector.
"Our moral is very high. We are not scared of Pakistani firing and are ready to retaliate strongly, paying them in the same coin," Sepoy Raj Singh told PTI.
"We have to keep an hawk's eye on the LoC at all times... it does not matter whether there is a ceasefire violation or firing on our posts or infiltration of militants and BAT teams," Singh added.
Situation in the past few weeks in Poonch-Rajouri sector has deteriorated following repeated ceasefire violations, firing on forward posts and snipper-firings which has forced jawans, officers and commanding officers to remain on their toes along the 225-km-long LoC.
Not only they have to patrol the LoC to check infiltration of militants, they also have to battle inhospitable terrains at high altitudes coupled with near zero-visibility.
"Apart from Pakistan Army firing, we have to fight inhospitable terrains. Visibility in cloudy conditions along the LoC becomes so poor that we cannot see our own jawans even at a distance of 10 to 20 metres," Altaf Ahmed, a JCO, said.
Unperturbed by continuous firing and burst of Pak 62-mm mortar shells near a high-altitude post here last night, Sepoy Singh assured his officer of a 'strong retaliation'.
Another jawan manning a LMG post bang on Zeroline in KG sub-sector pointed out in the dark and said in a defiant tone, "We will not be cowed down.
