15 civilians killed, 57 injured as Pakistan continues artillery shelling on civilian areas across the LoC
Pakistan continues to violate the ceasefire across the Line of Control (LoC). Locals in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir are bearing the brunt of heavy artillery shelling by the Pakistan Army across the LoC since the night of May 7 in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
A local woman in Uri stated, “There was relentless shelling. We were sleeping and suddenly we heard the sound. We went outside and a bombshell fell on our house. Everyone at home was injured and admitted to Baramulla Hospital. The house of my brother also got burnt. There is no food left. We have lost our house. Both our houses are completely damaged. There should be peace.”
Another local reiterated that there was heavy shelling during the night. “We have faced too much losses due to heavy shelling. Two bombshells fell on our house. Two small kids were injured. There is no food. Everything is lost. There is no place to stay. The government should think about our kids,” the local said.
The Indian Army has proportionately responded to the unprovoked small-arms and artillery firing by the Pakistani Army across the Line of Control (LoC) during the night of May 7 and May 8, as per the officials. The Pakistan Army had resorted to firing in Kupwara and Baramulla districts and Uri and Akhnoor sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.
“During the night of May 7-8, Pakistan Army posts resorted to unprovoked fire using small arms and artillery guns from across the LoC in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, and Akhnoor areas in J&K. The Indian Army responded proportionately,” the statement from the Indian Army stated.
Following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Pakistan has repeatedly resorted to unprovoked small arms firing across the LoC, to which India has responded accordingly. The Indian Army is closely monitoring the ceasefire violations by Pakistan after the Indian forces conducted the precise strikes on nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir under Operation Sindoor on Wednesday, May 7.
The strikes were aimed at avenging the Pahalgam attack victims and eliminating key Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leaders and camps involved in planning attacks on Indian soil.
Pakistan kills 15 innocent civilians in Poonch and Tangdhar
Earlier, 15 innocent civilians were killed and 43 were injured in artillery firing by the Pakistan Army since yesterday night, which has hit civilian areas in Poonch and Tangdhar, defence sources said on Wednesday. Pakistan Army targeted civilian areas in the border areas.
The shelling caused panic among villagers and damaged several houses. After Operation Sindoor, the Pakistan Army continued its series of ceasefire violations by targeting civilian areas in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Officials said the shelling caused panic among villagers and damaged several houses.
Shelling by Pakistan damaged civilian infrastructure, shattered window panes and cracked walls.
Schools in the border areas of Rajasthan to remain closed till further notice
Meanwhile, with Pakistan targeting civilian areas across the border, all government and private schools in the border districts of Rajasthan, including Barmer, Bikaner, Sri Ganganagar and Jaisalmer, have declared a holiday until further notification.
In Barmer, a border district on the India-Pakistan border, a holiday has been declared in government and private schools. From Thursday until further notice, the schools will be closed.
In Bikaner too, all government and private schools have been closed from today. District Collector Namrata Vrishni, using the powers conferred in Section 30 of Chapter 4 of the Disaster Management Act 2005, has declared a holiday till further orders for the students of all government and private schools up to class 12, including CBSE schools, Anganwadis and Madrasas for the safety of school children in view of the national security and emergency situation in the district.
In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, a holiday has been declared in government and non-government schools and madrasas in Sri Ganganagar as well, another border district. A holiday has also been declared in government and non-government schools and madrasas in Jaisalmer.
Rajouri residents returning home after being forced to flee due to Pakistani shelling
Residents in border villages in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri are returning to their homes on Thursday morning after they were forced to flee their homes in panic, seeking safety in the wake of the intense shelling by Pakistan on Wednesday. According to the villagers who returned today, the shelling has caused significant damage to residential properties, with people fleeing the areas along with their whole families as well as livestock.
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