Srinagar: At least five people were killed and 10 others wounded on Saturday after Pakistani troops pounded Indian posts and civilian areas along the Line of Control in Balakote sector of Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district with 82 mm and 60 mm mortar shells and fired automatic weapons and small arms.
Indian troops retaliated effectively with weapons of the same calibre, officials said. The facing troops targeted each other also in neighbouring Saujiyan area. These areas are 185-190 km southwest of Srinagar. Two critically injured civilians were airlifted to Jammu for specialised treatment, officials said. Reports said a private car and a school premises were hit in the firing, causing casualties.
Senior government and police officials have rushed to Balakote and Saujiyan from district headquarters Poonch. The shelling and firing has forced villagers on both sides of the LoC to flee to safety, reports received here said.
Officials in Poonch said Pakistani troops resorted to "unprovoked" firing and shelling on Indian forward posts and civilian areas in Balakote and Saujiyan areas on Saturday, shortly before Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif greeted his Indian counterpart, Mr Narendra Modi, on Independence Day and hoped that bilateral issues would be settled through sustained and comprehensive talks. Mr Modi had greeted Pakistan on its Independence Day on Friday.
Defence spokesman Lt. Col. Manish Mehta said in Jammu that Pakistani troops fired 60 mm and 82 mm mortar shells on forward posts and civilian areas along the LoC in Mandi, Hamirpur and Saujiyan sectors of Poonch, besides Balakote. He added that the Pakistani troops pounded Indian positions and civilians areas at 7.30 am and earlier, during the night.
Reports said overnight firing in Saujiyan sector had injured three civilians who were shifted to the sub-district hospital at Mandi. Jammu divisional commissioner Pawan Kotwal said helicopters were sent to the area to evacuate the injured civilians to Jammu’s Government Medical College Hospital where all emergency staff had been alerted to receive them. Police officials added that while Pakistani troops resorted to intense shelling in Balakote area, it was comparatively mild in other sectors.
Army authorities said there have been 32 violations of the November 2003 ceasefire agreement in August and that this was the seventh consecutive day that Pakistani troops have shelled Indian posts along the de facto border.
