J-K Police advisory: Avoid return to frontline villages due to unexploded shells

The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday issued an advisory urging residents not to return to frontline villages along the Line of Control (LoC), warning of the presence of unexploded munitions following recent shelling from across the border.

Baramulla Police said dangerous unexploded ordnance (UXOs) remain hidden in the affected villages after shelling.

“UXOs can explode when disturbed, even after lying dormant,” the police said.

The police also said 41 civilians were injured by leftover shells in Jammu and Kashmir in 2023 alone.

“Expert teams are currently conducting clearance operations in the region,” the police added.

For the first time in several days, no shelling was reported in the border areas in Kashmir valley on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday.

Official sources said that there were no of ceasefire violations along the LoC from any sector in northern Kashmir.

“We are keeping a close watch on the situation,” an official told The Tribune.

Thousands of people had moved to safer areas after heavy shelling by Pakistani forces led to extensive property damage, injuries to over a dozen civilians, and the death of a woman.

A resident of Kamalkota, Uri, expressed relief over the pause in hostilities.

He told The Tribune, “It was the first night of peace in several days. Some residents have started returning, though in small numbers.”

However, just as guns fell silent on the border areas, fresh tensions erupted across Kashmir on Saturday evening due to explosions and sightings of drones in Srinagar and nearby areas.

Officials described the explosions to be suspected “drone activity” across the region. This development came despite a formal announcement earlier in the day by India and Pakistan, agreeing to an immediate cessation of military operations across land, air and sea – a move widely welcomed by political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir.

After the fresh drone attacks, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said late night that there had been “repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan”.

“This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today,” he said, adding that the armed forces “are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations, which we view with utmost seriousness.”

J & K