"At about 9.30 a.m. Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation in Shahpur and Kirni sectors on the LoC in Poonch. They started firing with small arms followed by shelling with mortars," Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand said.
"The Indian Army is now retaliating befittingly. Firing and shelling exchanges are going on."
Thursday's ceasefire violation by the Pakistan Army comes nearly after a fortnight of calm on the LoC.
"At 11 a.m., the Pakistani troops resorted to shelling and firing of small arms in the Krishna Ghati and Kirni sectors. Our troops retaliated effectively," Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand told the media.
For the last three days, the two armies have traded fire on the LoC in Shahpur, Kirni and Krishna Ghati sectors of Poonch district.Line of Control, Jammu Kashmir,
There has been fresh strain in ties between India and Pakistan after the government scrapped special status to Jammu and Kashmir, with Islamabad unilaterally downgrading diplomatic relations.
The officials said the Pakistani side refused to attend the ceremony after the Border Security Force (BSF) sent across official communication to exchange sweets and greetings along the IB running through Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
"The customary event did not take place at any location along the India-Pakistan border on the occasion of Eid al-Adha," a senior official said.
The two forces that are deployed along the over 3,000 kms of this border exchange sweets on major festivals such as Eid, Holi, Diwali and their respective national days.
Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria returned to India on Saturday, days after Islamabad expelled him following its decision to downgrade diplomatic ties.
India has been maintaining that its decision on Jammu and Kashmir was an internal affair aimed at ensuring overall welfare of the region.
Meanwhile, exchange of sweets between BSF personnel and their Bangladeshi counterparts, Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), took place at designated locations along the 4,096-km frontier shard by the two countries.
Senior commanders of the two forces exchanged best wishes and presented sweets to each other as part of the existing friendly protocol along the Bangladesh border, the official said.
It has been learnt that the code words were being sent through FM transmission stations installed on the Line Of Control (LoC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the signs used for communication were Jaish-e-Mohammad (66/88), Lashkar-e-Taiba (A3) and Al Badr (D9).
The communications were being made through the "Qaumi Taranah", the national anthem of Pakistan, for almost a week after the abrogated of Article 370 on August 5 following which landline, mobile phone and internet networks were snapped in the region.
The "Qaumi Taranah" versions were being used very actively and was run by both the Pakistan Army and terrorist organisations through the FM transmission stations to send messages to there handlers and cadres in Jammu and Kashmir.
The very high frequency (VHF) radio stations were sending signals near the LoC with India by playing the "Qaumi Taranah" and these signals were also being used by the LeT, JeM and Al Badr to communicate with their local cadres in Jammu and Kashmir, the intelligence inputs said.
Sources said that the VHF messages were being received by the terrorists near the LoC and they were circulating those to create violence and even mislead people in the nearby villages.
The Pakistan Army was also shifting the existing FM transmission stations in PoK closer to the LoC. The 10 Corps Commander of the Pakistan Army entrusted the Signal Corps with this work, said sources, adding that the move by Pakistan was aimed at pushing terrorists into India.
The Army porters were working in an area along the LoC when the Pakistan Army shells hit them directly, they said.
"Today at about 1100 hours Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked shelling with mortars along LoC in Gulpur sector in district Poonch", a defence spokesman said.
In the shelling, two porters were killed and three others were severely injured, he said.
The injured have been hospitalised and efforts are on to recover the bodies of the two other porters.
(PTI)