| Pakistan’s border bloodbath continues unabated; India talks tough | | JCO among 12 hurt in fresh Pak firing on LoC, IB | | Several Pak shells explode in Arnia town, creating panic among locals
Early Times Report
POONCH/JAMMU, Oct 7: While efforts were afoot to re-establish peace on the borders, a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO), two jawans and nine civilians were wounded in the fresh shelling and gunfire by Pakistan on Jammu borders which have witnessed the worst ceasefire violations by the neighbouring country during the past one week.
Pakistan too was said to have suffered great losses, including civilian casualties, in retaliatory action by India.
Arnia residents, including one Basant Singh Saini, called up Early Times at about 8.45 pm today and told that nine shells fired from across the border had exploded in the town one after the other. When asked about any loss, they said they were unaware of it as it was not possible for them to move out amid explosions and firing. Shelling and firing also started in RS Pura sub-sector late tonight.
In Mankote sub-sector of Poonch, the enemy troops started shelling and heavy firing at about 1 pm, targeting the forward Indian posts and villages. In Mendhar sub-sector, shelling and heavy arms fire began at about 3 pm, official sources said.
Pak started shelling Sabzian and Kirni sub-sectors at about 6.30 pm. There was heavy shelling for about half an hour, resulting in critical injuries to a JCO and two jawans at Sabzian. They were hospitalised.
Army retaliated at all these places. Loss, if any, on the Pak side was yet to be ascertained, the sources added.
Sources said though shelling had stopped at all the places along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch, the intermittent exchange of fire between the two sides was continuing when reports last came in.
Two shells landed at the ever-busy Trewa Chowk in the heart of Arnia town near here and exploded with a big-bang, causing injuries to at least eight persons. Seven of them were identified as Amit Kumar, Dwarka Nath, son of Om Prakash, Gian Chand, son of Tota Ram, Kiran Bala, wife of Sham Lal, Shama Devi, wife of Gian Chand, Pankaj Kumar, son of Bodh Raj, and Sham Lal, son of Sain Dass. All of them were hospitalised.
Sources said due to the impact of the blasts caused by the shells, the wall of the Arnia police station, which is close to Trewa Chowk, was damaged. The big-bangs also rattled the window panes of several nearby buildings and damaged their glass panes.
In one such explosion of a shell at Flora in RS Pura, Ankush (10), son of Madan Lal, was wounded. He sustained a splinter injury in his hand.
Sources said as many as 40 BSF outposts and 25 hamlets were targeted by Pakistan on the IB since late Monday night, a day after the highest civilian death toll in a single day from cross-border conflict in more than a decade.
The Pak troops also fired at BSF posts in Kanachak and Pargwal areas.
In one of the worst ceasefire violations by Pakistan, five civilians, including four members of a family, were killed and 29 wounded in firing by the Rangers at Mahashe-de-Kothe in Arnia on Monday. It was the highest death toll among non-military personnel in a single day in the region since 2003, sources informed.
As the ceasefire violations continued, anti-Pakistan demonstrations rocked Jammu and other areas to protest the firing and shelling.
Meanwhile, BSF Director General DK Pathak visited Pargwal and Kanachak border areas of Akhnoor Sector to assess the damage to life and property caused by recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan.
A BSF spokesman said almost all the BSF posts in Kanachak and Pargwal were targeted by the Pak Rangers.
"BSF troops at all the places gave a strong and befitting reply to the firing from Pakistan", the spokesman said, adding that firing at some places, particularly Pargwal, was still on.
"There is no loss of life or damage on part of BSF", he said.
"There has been heavy firing and mortar shelling on 20 to 25 border hamlets along the IB in Arnia, RS Pura, Pargwal, Ganjansoo and Kanachak belts of Jammu district since last night," Jammu district magistrate Ajeet Kumar said.
In view of the firing, over 1,000 people were shifted to camps overnight. The villagers from Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts have fled their homes.
There have been nine ceasefire violations along the LoC and eight along the IB in Jammu. These include seven in Poonch along LoC, eight along International Border in Jammu and two in Gulmarg sector of Kashmir.
Six persons have been killed and 50 others including BSF jawan injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along LoC and IB in Jammu and Poonch districts in the ceasefire violations this month.
On October 6, Pakistan had violated the ceasefire thrice in Bhimber Gali, Kerni and Balakote-Mankote in Poonch district.
On October 5, there were two ceasefire violations.
On October 4, Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling along LoC in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, drawing equal retaliation from Army.
The Rangers violated ceasefire four times on October 3 by shelling forward areas and villages along the LoC and the IB, resulting in the death of a girl and injuries to six others.
On October 1 and 2, Pakistani troops had violated the ceasefire twice along the LoC in Poonch district resulting in injuries to six persons.
Pakistani troops had targeted civilian hamlets on October 2, leaving six persons injured. |
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