Three civilians, including a newly born child along with his mother, received injures in heavy mortar shelling by the Pakistan Army along the Line of Control in Poonch sector late on Sunday evening.
According to reports, “unprovoked firing from the Pakistani side started around 4:00 pm in Shahpur area of Poonch in which several civilian houses bore the maximum brunt in the forward areas".
Official sources said, "One of the mortar shells, fired by the Pakistan army, landed on the roof top of a civilian house in Shahpur area where Fatima Jan along with his 12 day old child received splinter injuries”.
In few minutes, civilian areas of Sawjiyan, and Mankote sector in Mendhar were also targeted by the Pakistan army triggering panic among them. According to official sources, “Braving heavy shelling local villagers shifted minor boy along with his mother Fatima Jan and another villager Mohd Arif, a SUMO driver, from Shahpur to district hospital in Poonch.
Doctors in the emergency ward of District hospital in Poonch said, "the minor boy had received splinter injuries in his abdomen". Another villager, Mohd Arif had also received critical splinter injuries. As heavy mortar shelling was still going on in the forward areas, the district authorities decided to rush ambulances to bring injured residents to the nearby hospital. Ministry of Defence Spokesman in Jammu, Lt-Col Devender Anand said, “Unprovoked firing from the Pakistani side was initiated around 5.00 p.m in Shahpur and Sawjiyan areas of Poonch on Sunday.” He said in response to the intense mortar shelling by Pakistan army, Indian army was retaliating strongly and effectively.