Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Aug 17: Two more civilians were injured while over a dozen houses were damaged and half a dozen cattle perished in continued firing by the Pakistan Army in forward areas of Mendhar and Balakote sectors in Poonch district last night. Panic stricken people in several forward areas along the Line of Control (LoC) spent sleepless nights in view of heavy firing and shelling by the Pakistan Army.
Pellets of mortar shells hit two civilians in their houses at forward villages of Sandot and Basooni causing them injuries. They have been identified as Mohammad Raqib son of Saidullah, a resident of village Sandot, Mendhar and Mohammad Kafeel son of Mohammad Hafeez, a resident of Basooni, Mankot.
Army and police evacuated the injured civilians and shifted them to hospital, where they were responding to the treatment.
Official sources said nearly a dozen houses have suffered partial damage in firing and shelling by the Pakistan Army, which has been going on for past four consecutive nights. Several houses in the forward areas have been hit by the bullets and splinters of shells fired by the Pakistan Army, sources said, adding that half a dozen cattle have perished in the firing. Cattle sheds of the people have also been damaged in the firing.
Sources said there was no let up in heavy firing and mortar shelling by the Pakistan Army last night. Firing in forward areas of Mendhar started at 11.30 pm and continued till 4.15 am while in border areas of Balakote and Hamirpur, it started around 12.30 am and lasted till 5 am.
Indian side retaliated effectively to silence the Pakistani guns, sources said.
Speaking to some media persons at Balakote this evening, Bhimber Gali (BG) Brigade Commander A S Gupta said the Indian side has been retaliating effectively to Pakistan firing. He added that directions have been issued to the field Commanders to give adequate response to Pakistan firing at all the place.
Brig Gupta said the troops were alert on the LoC and their morale was very high. He added that four Pakistani posts, which were resorting to heavy firing on Indian civil areas and forward posts of Army, have been destroyed in retaliatory firing.
“In view of adverse weather conditions, we are using thermal images for surveillance and track movement on the LoC,” he added.
Brig Gupta said Pakistan Army having miserably failed in their attempt to infiltrate militants into this side was resorting to unprovoked firing on forward Indian posts and villages.
“The ceasefire violations by Pakistan Army were result of their failure to push militants into this side. It was due to strict vigil and surveillance that we have thwarted all infiltration attempts by the militants, which were aided and abetted by the Pakistan Army,” he added.
Meanwhile, panic prevailed among the villagers of forward areas in Mendhar, Hamirpur and Balakote in view of continued firing from across the LoC. The panicky people have been threatening to shift to safer areas. However, civil and police administration were persuading them not to migrate saying the firing would subside soon.
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