Pak army violates ceasefire, targets civilian areas in J-K

Pakistan army continued ceasefire violation by resorting to heavy mortar shelling and heavy firing targeting civilian areas along the Indo-Pak border in Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua districts of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Thursday.

Pakistan army resorted to heavy weaponry firing and mortar shelling targeting dozens of villages and forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Shahpur and Gotriya areas Wednesday night which continued till Thursday morning, they said.

The shelling caused damage to a shop while a cowshed was gutted, the officials said.

The mortar shelling and small arms firing from across the border was intense in Shahpur, where a number of shells also fell in the close vicinity of revered shrine of famous Sufi saint Sain Baba Miran Bakash, they said. A shop was damaged, they added.

The officials added that the firing and shelling continued for about nine hours.

In many places, the shells hit and exploded in mountainous areas triggering landslides which blocked roads, the officials said.

Panic gripped the border residents as Pakistani mortar shelling continued throughout the night. The sounds of the explosions were also heard in Poonch town, they said.

Pakistan troops also shelled forward areas of Keri along the LoC in Rajouri district overnight triggering panic and fear among the residents, the officials said.

Pakistan rangers also resorted to firing and shelling targeting hamlets of Manyari and other villages in Hiranagar sector along the International border (IB) in Kathua district late Wednesday night and continued till Thursday morning, they said.

A cowshed was damaged after it caught it fire. A few houses also suffered damages, they said.

People living in Manyari hamlet spent life in the jaws of death as bullets pierced through windows and doors of their houses, the officials said.

However, no one was injured, they added.

People held anti-Pakistan protests and demanded that people living along the borderline should be shifted to a safer place.

Pakistan should be given a strong and befitting reply, they said.