Cross-border shelling injures 11, damages 40 houses across Valley

At least 11 civilians were injured and over 40 houses damaged as heavy artillery shelling by Pakistan rattled towns along the Line of Control (LoC) in north Kashmir on Wednesday. Local residents said they had not witnessed such intense shelling in recent years.

Early Wednesday morning, India announced it had struck terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). In response, the Indian Army reported that Pakistan initiated unprovoked firing, including artillery shelling, from posts across the LoC and International Border opposite Jammu and Kashmir. “We are responding to the shelling in equal measure,” the Army stated.

For residents of border villages in the Valley, it was a night filled with fear as Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling in various areas.

Over the past 12 days, there had mostly been small arms fire reported along the LoC, following last month’s Pahalgam attack that killed 26 people. However, early Wednesday marked a shift as Pakistan resorted to artillery shelling.

Locals said they had never seen such intense shelling in years. “I have never seen such a situation in my life. The last time I saw something like this was during the 1971 war,” said 70-year-old Mohammed Shafi Lone from Tangdhar in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district.

He said heavy firing began after 1 am, prompting residents to move into bunkers, where they remained throughout the night. When the shelling paused briefly and people emerged, several houses were found engulfed in flames. Police officials reported that around 40 houses were damaged in the Tangdhar area.

A similar situation was reported in the nearby Baramulla district, where heavy shelling rocked Uri town. Locals said they stayed awake all night as loud explosions shook the frontier town. Residents said the shelling was so intense that shells landed deep inside Uri, far from the usual border areas.

“Before 2021, whenever there was shelling, it was generally limited and affected areas close to the border. This time, however, it was heavy artillery fire and shells landed in places like Gingal, where we’ve never experienced such a situation before,” said Naveed Bakhtiyar, a Uri resident.

He added that people are living in constant fear, having remained awake all night due to the shelling. Police officials said some homes in Uri were badly damaged, and as many as 11 civilians were injured in the attacks.

Authorities have since restricted traffic towards Uri, and civilians are being barred from moving towards the border areas. Army officials confirmed that forces are giving a “befitting response” to Pakistani shelling along the LoC.

J & K