Indian Army targets Pak military admin HQs in PoK

The Indian Army has targeted Pakistani military administrative headquarters across the Line of Control in retaliation to the recent shelling in Poonch and Jhallas, security officials said Monday.

The Army retaliated in the Khuiratta and Samani areas of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), they said.

The Pakistani army had shelled the brigade headquarters and other Indian military formations in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch on October 23.

"In response to Pakistani army's firing of stray shells on Poonch and Jhallas on October 23, 2018, the Indian Army has sent a strong signal by firing at Pakistani army administrative headquarters... and the residents of border villages also reported that they could see smoke emanating," the officials said.

Following the shelling in Poonch, the Indian Army has in its "strong signal" to Pakistan, fired on its army administrative headquarters in PoK, they said.

Quoting information received from across the border, the officials claimed that several photographs "stood testimony" to the reports of border villagers that they had seen smoke emanating from the Pakistani headquarters after the Indian military's retaliatory action.

They said the Indian Army has exercised maximum restraint, despite continuous provocation by the Pakistani army.

The Army has avoided targeting civilian population living in the close proximity of the Line of Control (LoC) in PoK areas such as Hajira, BandiGopalpur, Nikial, Samani and Khuiratta, the officials said.

Following the 2016 surgical strikes, the pressure on the Pakistani army was kept across the LoC through "proactive and precise targeting" by the Indian Army, they said