Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, June 3: After a brief lull, Pakistan today again activated Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors targeting civilian population and forward defence locations inviting prompt retaliation from the Indian side. Two civilians including a woman and a minor boy were injured on the Indian side while Pakistan also claimed that its three civilians were injured in cross-LoC shelling and firing.
The fresh round of tensions along the LoC in Poonch district came just three days after Indian troops eliminated six Pakistan army troops and injured five other on the LoC opposite twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch.
Reports said Pakistani troops resorted to shelling with 120 mm and 82 mm mortars in Poonch sector including Qasba, Gountrian, Kirni and Sabjian areas at 12.20 am in wee hours of this morning. The Indian side gave matching response to Pakistani shelling, leading to heavy exchanges.
The people sleeping inside the houses woke up hearing deafening sound of mortar shell explosions and firing with automatic weapons and confined themselves inside. Some of them reportedly shifted to the bunkers, adjacent to their houses.
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At about 7 am today, Pakistani troops extended mortar shelling and firing to Krishna Ghati sector including Mankote, Sagra and Balnoi. Here also, the Indian Army gave befitting response to Pakistani troops.
Sources said the mortar shelling of 120mm and 82mm fired by Pakistan army directly targeted civilian population on the Indian side and many of them landed deep inside the villages, leading to panic among the people, who didn’t venture out of their houses or bunkers till late in the afternoon.
Large number of villages located closed to the LoC in Krishna Ghati and Poonch sectors came under intense shelling in wee hours of the morning and during the day. Several forward locations of the troops were also targeted in the shelling but there were no casualties or damage of the Army. Two civilians were, however, injured in the shelling.
The injured civilians have been identified as 14 year old boy Zamood son of Mohammad Khalil R/o Dabraj, Sagra and Shehnaz Begum wife of Zarayat Ali R/o Qasba, Shahpur. Both the injured have been admitted in the Government hospitals, where they were responding to the treatment and their condition was stable.
Shelling in both Poonch and Krishna Ghati sectors stopped in the afternoon, sources said, adding that the people came out of their houses in all forward villages of these sectors more than an hour after the shelling had stopped from Pakistan side.
Intensity of the shelling could be gauged from the fact that roof and walls of several houses located close to the LoC were rattled and developed cracks, sources said, adding that since the people were inside the houses or bunkers, number of the casualties was less.
Meanwhile, sources have not ruled out possibility of Pakistan army trying to facilitate infiltration attempts by the militants during overnight shelling along the LoC. However, they added, the alert troops didn’t allow any such plan to succeed by giving effective response to Pakistan’s misadventures.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry claimed that two of its villagers were injured in retaliatory firing by the Indian Army opposite Krishna Ghati sector.
On June 1, a civilian was killed and four others, including a BSF jawan, were injured when the Pakistani army targeted forward areas along the LoC in Rajouri and Pooch districts, prompting retaliation by the Indian troops.
Later, six Pakistani soldiers were killed and five others were injured in Indian Army’s retaliatory action along Nowshera and Krishna Ghati sectors.
Entire top brass of the Indian Army headed by the Army chief and seven Commanders, including all Corps Commanders of Jammu and Kashmir, held a meeting in Srinagar to review the situation in hinterland and borders on Thursday and Friday.
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