Pakistan Army continued shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in four sectors of Jammu and Kashmir, prompting a befitting response by the Indian Army, officials said on Thursday.
Compared to Wednesday, when the Pakistan Army carried out one of the most intense artillery and mortar shelling in years targeting the forward villages in the Union Territory following missile strikes by India as part of ‘Operation Sindoor’, the intensity of cross-border firing was less and restricted to four sectors on Thursday, the officials said.
“On the intervening night of May 7 and 8, Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked firing using small arms and artillery guns across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri and Akhnoor sectors in J-K. The Indian Army responded proportionately,” a defence spokesman said in Jammu as quoted by news agency PTI.
The officials said there was no report of any casualties in the skirmishes.
15 killed, 43 injured on Wednesday
At least 15 people were killed and 43 others injured in the cross-border artillery and mortar shelling from the Pakistani army along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.
Soon after India launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ early Wednesday, Pakistan’s ‘barbaric’ shelling left a trail of destruction – damaged houses, broken shops, burnt vehicles, bloodstains and debris-littered streets.
“Artillery firing by the Pakistan Army since last night has hit civilian areas in Poonch and Tangdhar. Caused the death of 15 innocent civilians and injured 43 others,” defence officials said.
Thursday’s shelling was the 14th consecutive night of firing along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir amid heightened tension following the Pahalgam attack.
Ceasefire violations along the LoC and the International Border have been very rare after India and Pakistan renewed the ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021.
Worst-hit Poonch
The worst-hit Poonch sector in Jammu, which recorded 13 deaths in Wednesday’s intense shelling, remained by and large peaceful at night, they said. Hundreds of border residents have already moved to safer areas in view of the flare up. Among the 13 persons killed in the Pakistani shelling was Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of the 5-Field Regiment.
“The GOC (general officer commanding) and all ranks of White Knight Corps salute the supreme sacrifice of L/Nk Kumar of 5 Fd Regt, who laid down his life on May 7 during Pakistan Army shelling. We also stand in solidarity with all victims of the targeted attacks on innocent civilians in Poonch sector,” the Army said in a post on X.
Member Legislative Assembly (MLA) Poonch Haveli, Ajaz Jan, who lives in Poonch town, told a local dialy Greater Kashmir that the entire town was converted into a war zone after the Pakistan Army resorted to heavy artillery shelling.
“There are no words to describe the fear and scene as Poonch town was under intense artillery shelling for around six hours and hundreds of artillery shells landed in the town,” MLA Jan told Greater Kashmir.
“Our private schools, temples, Masjids, Madarsas, government offices, Police Lines, and all parts of the town as well as market areas and bus stands remained under heavy shelling,” Jan said.
Everything is gone now. We are too afraid to return. Rebuilding the house will be incredibly difficult. —we need the government to step in and help.
One of the most affected villages by Pakistani shelling is Salamabad, located barely ten kilometres from the Line of Control (LoC) in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir towards the north
Bashir Ahmad, a local shopkeeper who witnessed the destruction, told the BBC that around 2 am on Wednesday a loud explosion jolted the villagers awake. Ahmad estimated that only a handful of Salamabad’s 100 or so residents had remained, the rest having left in search of safety from what he described as the most intense shelling in years.
Two homes in Salamabad have been damaged by the Pakistani shelling in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
Badrudin, another villager, told BBC that he was injured in the shelling, along with this eight-year-old son and sister-in-law.
“Everything is gone now. We are too afraid to return,” says Badruddin whose house has also been damaged. “Rebuilding the house will be incredibly difficult. —we need the government to step in and help,” he said.
Indian armed forces carried out precision strikes at terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the government said early Wednesday morning. In all, 9 areas have been targeted, the government said in the statement, codenaming the strike ‘Operation Sindoor.’
“There was not one shell but multiple. There was deafening noise. There’s a lot of fear, but where will we go? Where will the poor go? We don’t have anything,” said another man,
Source:https://www.livemint.com/news/india/our-private-schools-temples-masjids-locals-along-loc-lament-over-heavy-shelling-by-pakistan-after-operation-sindoor-11746679153936.html