Heavy mortar shelling by the Pakistan Army has wrecked the lives of thousands of border residents living in the direct line of fire in the forward areas of Poonch district.
The locals have fled from several villages for the fear of getting caught in the heavy crossfire. In the wake of unabated Pakistani shelling and offensive posturing by the Opposition parties to call off the NSA-level talks with Pakistan scheduled to take place on August 23, the Centre is closely monitoring the situation.
Senior Army officers of the 16 Corps based in Nagrota are briefing top brass of the Northern Command at regular intervals about the prevailing situation on “ground zero.”
More than 50 houses have suffered damages in the extensive Pakistani shelling. Women and children are the worst sufferers as they have been forced to remain indoors even in safe zones. Army authorities have advised local population to exercise utmost caution while stepping out in vulnerable areas.
In the last 24 hours, two major ceasefire violations were reported in the forward areas across Saujian, Mandi and Balakote sector of Poonch.
According to field reports, the Pakistan Army targeted civilian areas using 120 mm, 82 mm and heavy machine gun fire.
Strongly reacting to the provocation, the Indian Army also appropriately retaliated.
Compared to the last two days, the intensity of the Pakistani shelling was relatively less. But the Pakistani Army seemed determined to inflict maximum civilian casualties.
The Defence PRO in Jammu said: “After a brief lull on late Sunday evening, ceasefire violation was reported in Saujian and Mandi sectors around 10 pm. The firing continued for over three hours and again resumed early Monday morning. Another ceasefire violation was reported in the Balakote sector of Poonch around 7 p.m.”
On the other hand, hapless residents of the area are yet to come to terms with the scale of devastation as they have stayed away from their homes for last two days.
Even the close relatives of deceased civilians have been finding it difficult to reunite with their loved ones in this hour of need to mourn the loss of their loved ones due to continuous shelling in the worst-affected areas.
A close relative of National Conference sarpnach Karamat Hussain, killed in the Pakistani shelling on August 15 said, in the last three days he failed to meet family of Karamat Hussain as police authorities restricted entry of local people in the forward area.
Anger is also brewing among the local residents in the area over the lack of coordination and negligence on the part of the State Government authorities. Several local villagers who demanded safe evacuation from the forward areas were not provided with transport facilities. The Army, however, is running makeshift kitchens to feed hungry residents staying away from their houses.