Despite facing the brunt of intense shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC), majority of border residents, living in the direct line of fire in Nowshera sector, continue to stay put inside their houses and willing to extend all possible help to the jawans of the Indian Army.
“We are not willing to shift to safer places. We want to stay back in our own houses. This land belongs to us why should we run away from here”, villagers in one of the forward villages located along the LoC told visiting team of reporters.
“Our morale is very high, we are not terrorised. Our army is with us and we are standing behind our jawans to protect the frontiers of mother Nation”, villagers in the area said.
Kailash Devi, despite receiving splinter injuries in recent shelling in the area told reporters, “We are witnessing border shelling for last over fifteen years but it was never so intense”. Rooftop of my house was damaged after a mortar shell landed there. Pointing towards the destruction she added, “Pakistan army is behaving recklessly by targeting civilian pockets in the area. They cannot be trusted, they only understand the language of gun”.
Demanding firm response, Kailash Devi urged the Central Government to smash terror factories to teach Pakistan a befitting lesson. Another villager Chandi Lal said, “Indian army should give strong response to Pakistan by crossing the LoC and destroying their defence”.
Meanwhile, amid prevailing tensions along the LoC, Pakistan Army Monday refused to throw open the gates to allow weekly peace bus service cross the Line of Control with stranded passengers on board.
According to official sources, only three passengers were returning to Pakistan occupied Kashmir via Karvan-e- Aman peace bus when Pakistan army refused to open the gates.
“I was going back, went to the border, bought tickets but was told that the Pakistan authorities did not open the gate, then we had to come back,” Syed Bukhari, Resident of Mirpur in PoK told reporters in Poonch.
Late in the evening Pakistani troops Monday violated ceasefire by targeting forward posts and villages along the Line of Control in Qasba and Kerni sectors of Poonch. Till the time of filing the report firing was going on in the area.
Early in the morning Ceasefire violation was also reported in Akhnoor sector.
“The firing from across the border started around 0300 hours and stopped at 0630 hours,” a defence spokesman said.
He said Pakistan initiated the unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing mortar shells and small arms on forward posts and villages.
“Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively,” the spokesman said adding there was no report of any casualty on Indian side.
Pakistan had violated ceasefire for over 50 times, killing three members of a family and injuring several others.