Several houses damaged, cattle perish
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, July 19: Following three days of intense shelling and firing by Pakistan army in twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch in which three Army soldiers and a female child were killed and scores of others injured, Indian troops have decimated nine posts and bunkers of Pakistani troops, which were engaged in targeting civilian areas including the educational institutions to cause more casualties.
“A major counter attack against Pakistani troops was necessitated across Rajouri and Poonch districts along the Line of Control (LoC) to silence the enemy guns, which were targeting civilian population and schools. Huge damage has been caused to Pakistan army,” official sources told the Excelsior.
They said: “enough and far more damage than what we suffered has been inflicted upon Pakistan army in all parts of the LoC across Poonch and Rajouri districts, where heavy mortar shelling and firing with automatic weapons continued for third consecutive day today”.
According to sources, at least nine posts and bunkers of Pakistan army have been decimated while many more were damaged in retaliatory action undertaken by the Indian troops. Pakistan army has also suffered several casualties, both fatal and non-fatal, they said.
Noting that this was the rare occasion when Pakistan army directly started targeting not only the populated villages but also the educational institutions hitting innocent people including school kids, sources said it had become must to teach the enemy troops a strong lesson.
Following heavy losses suffered by Pakistan side, Pakistan today summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh in Islamabad and conveyed concern over the loss of lives and infrastructure to him. Pakistan called for implementation of 2003 ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, a Junior Commissioner Officer (JCO), who was injured in yesterday’s shelling by Pakistan army in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district, succumbed to his injuries this afternoon in the Command Hospital, Udhampur while Pakistan army continued heavy mortar shelling and firing in Balakote, Mendhar, Shahpur and Sabjian sectors of Poonch district and Manjakote in Rajouri district. The Indian troops retaliated very effectively and strongly at all the places.
However, Nowshera sector of Rajouri district, which bore brunt of the shelling yesterday, was comparatively peaceful today with no major incident of ceasefire violations reported during the day. All Government and private schools in Nowshera and Manjakote sectors have already been closed by the administration as 261 students and teachers were yesterday trapped in three Government schools of Nowshera sector and had to be rescued by the security forces and administration using bullet-proof mobile bunkers.
Fresh migration today took place from forward areas of Nowshera sector. Three hundred people along with their 150 cattle were safely shifted from forward village of Gania, located within the firing range to a Government Middle School in the same village, which was in the safer location.
Similarly, around 600 more people have reached the relief camps set up for the border dwellers by the civil administration of Rajouri in Nowshera sector. Sources said there were 3361 people from 839 families in the relief camps at Nowshera prior to fresh round of shelling and their number has now swelled to around 4000.
Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, SSP Rajouri Yougal Manhas, SDM Nowshera, Harbans Lal and Additional SP Nowshera Atul Sharma were monitoring situation in forward areas of Nowshera regularly and making requisite arrangements for the people.
Subedar Shashi Kumar, who was seriously injured in Pakistan shelling in Nowshera sector and was airlifted to the Command Hospital in Udhampur, succumbed to his injuries this afternoon taking last three days death toll in the shelling to four including three Army soldiers and a girl child. Apart, about a dozen civilians and Army personnel have been injured.
Subedar Shashi Kumar was a native of village Galon in Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh and is survived by his wife Santosh Sharma and children. The mortal remains of the martyr are being sent to his native village for performing last rites with full military honours.
“Subedar Shashi Kumar was a brave and sincere soldier. He loved his job to the core. The nation will always remain indebted to him for the supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” a Defence spokesman said.
Sources said 10 to 12 shells fired by Pakistan army fell at Government Primary Schools Klotra and Kote Dhar in Manjakote sector of Rajouri district. However, the schools were shut and, therefore, a major catastrophe was averted. The school buildings were, however, damaged as some of the mortar shells exploded inside the school buildings.
Sources said Langiot, Balakote Forward, Sandot, Bharati, Panjni, Suhala, Dharana, Basooni and Gulad in Balakote and Mendhar sectors besides forward villages of Shahpur and Sabjian sectors were hit by mortar shelling and firing with automatic and semi-automatic weapons during the day. In Manjakote sector of Rajouri district, several shells fell at Dhar, Lamberi and Upper Rajdhani.
A 20 year old youth Ahmad Raza son of Abdul Hamid R/o Sandot was injured as mortar shell exploded close to his house. He was evacuated from the site of firing and admitted in the hospital, where he was responding to the treatment.
The educational institutions in Manjakote and Nowshera sectors of Rajouri district and parts of Balakote and Mendhar sectors in Poonch district, falling in the shelling and firing range, remained closed today on the orders of administration to avoid casualties as Pakistan army was targeting civilian areas including the schools.
Cross-LoC trade, which takes place four days a week from Tuesday to Friday, on Poonch-Rawlakote route, remained suspended for second day today and is unlikely to be resumed during two remaining days of the current week, sources said.
Cross-LoC weekly bus remained suspended this as well as this Monday while the trade too didn’t take place last week.
Several houses and cattle shed have been damaged in forward areas of the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts but their exact number was not known as authorities were yet to assess the damage in view of ongoing shelling and firing. A number of cattle have also been killed or injured in the shelling, sources said.
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