NEW DELHI: Incidents of unprovoked shelling along the International Border in Jammu from Pakistan's side have risen four times compared to 2017, PTI reported quoting official data. Also, this year's figures remain the highest in the past five years, it said.

In the firings, 12 BSF personnel lost their lives while 40 suffered injuries.

Till September this year, a total of 498 incidents of cross-border firing have taken place along the IB in Jammu as compared to 111 last year, it said. In 2016, 204 incidents of shelling were reported while in 2015 the number was 350 and in 2014, it was 127.

The BSF has suffered the maximum casualties this year with 12 of its jawans getting killed, including the brutal killing of Head Constable Narender Singh last month by Pakistan forces.

Singh was shot dead and his throat slit when his team went towards the fence to cut thick and long elephant grass near their border post in Ramgarh sector of Jammu.

A "record-high" number of 40 jawans have been injured in these incidents this year and these figures are the highest in the past five years, PTI said quoting the data.

"The relations between the two countries and their security forces are strained for quite sometime now. It is, therefore, expected that the hostilities may rise and audacious attacks can be launched by the other side. The forward units hence have been asked to be very very cautious," the official, who did not wish to be identified, told the news agency.

The BSF has asked its forward units to be "extra vigilant" in the wake of unprovoked firing by Pakistan and recent attacks led by Pakistani border action team (BAT).

Before retiring, the former BSF Director-General had said that the Indian forces were witnessing a "more aggressive stance" of the opponent along the IB in Jammu and Kashmir after Imran Khan took over as Pakistan's prime minister.