Pak army targeting civilians in Poonch; Gurdwara damaged in shelling

STATE TIMES NEWS

POONCH: Pakistan Army on Wednesday carried out one of the most intense artillery and mortar shelling in Poonch targeting forward villages along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir after the Indian missile strikes against terror infrastructure in the neighbouring country and PoK, officials said on Wednesday.
Hundreds of residents were forced to take refuge in underground bunkers or shift to safer places as the indiscriminate shelling by Pakistan damaging houses, vehicles and various buildings, including a Gurdwara, and created panic among the border residents in the worst-hit Poonch district and Rajouri in Jammu region and Baramulla and Kupwara in north Kashmir.
The officials said the Indian Army is responding to the shelling in a befitting manner, resulting in many casualties on the enemy side after several of their posts engaged in firing were destroyed.
This is the first time that such an intense shelling has been witnessed after the ceasefire agreement was renewed between the two countries on February 25, 2021.
The shelling was reported from all along the LoC in Poonch, including Balakote, Mendhar, Mankote, Krishna Ghati, Gulpur, Kerni and even Poonch district headquarters.
In a post on X, Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal said, “Strongly condemn the inhuman attack by Pakistani forces on the sacred Central Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Poonch.
This was the 13th consecutive night of unprovoked firing along the borders in Jammu and Kashmir, amid heightened tensions following the Pahalgam attack.
Earlier, a defence spokesman said during the intervening night of May 6 and 7, the Pakistan Army resorted to arbitrary firing, including artillery shelling, from posts across the LoC and International Border opposite Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the Indian Army is responding in a “proportionate manner”.
Army sources said Indian troops caused many casualties to the enemy forces after destroying several of their posts in the retaliatory action.
Authorities had shut all educational institutions in the five border districts of the Jammu region on Wednesday.