On a day India was engrossed in celebrating the 69th Independence Day, the Pakistan Army left no stone unturned to spill Indians’ blood by its unprovoked heavy mortar shelling targeting forward villages in Poonch killing five civilians, including a sarpanch and a lecturer, and injuring 20 others on Saturday.
The Pakistan Army began shelling the forward villages with long-range mortars across Balakote, Hamirpur and Kerni sectors of Poonch around 11.10 am. Indian troops deployed along the line of Control (loC) retaliated in equal measure to silence the Pakistani guns. After a small interval, the Pakistan Army once again started pounding civilian areas using long-range 120 mm mortars around 3pm.
Basoni village sarpanch Karamat Hussain Khan (52), Mohd Sheraj Khan (17), and Mohin Khan (10) died on the spot after a mortar hit their car in which they were returning home after attending an Independence Day function at a private school in Hamirpur area of Poonch. Master Abdul Rehman (42) and Mohd Amin (18) succumbed to injuries on way to hospital.
The death toll may rise as several critically injured villagers waited hours before they were shifted to nearby hospitals in Rajouri and Mandi. Four injured civilians admitted in a Rajouri hospital were airlifted to Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu.Panic stricken residents in the area had already taken shelter behind bushes and safe places. Several houses and livestock were hit by the mortar shells causing severe damage to civilian properties. Over 30 ceasefire violations and a similar number of infiltration bids have been reported in August till now.
According to Defence PRO in Jammu, “The Pakistan Army used 120 mm mortars and automatic weapons to target the forward Indian posts and civilian areas on Saturday.” He said firing continued throughout the day at regular intervals. An Army chopper was deployed to airlift the injured civilians from Rajouri, he added.
Condemning the heavy shelling from the Pakistani side, J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohd Sayeed said, “We can’t allow our hapless civilians, living along the borders, to become the victims of Pakistani shelling.”
