Pakistan is reportedly rattled after India launched Operation Sindoor targeting terrorist hideouts. In retaliation, Pakistan has been targeting innocent civilians. On Wednesday, the Pakistani Army carried out heavy shelling and mortar attacks on villages near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, resulting in the deaths of at least 15 people, including four children and one Indian soldier, and injuries to 57 others. Most of the shelling was focused on the Poonch region, where the Indian Army is strongly retaliating.
In a press conference, Pakistan’s military spokesperson, DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, admitted that 31 Pakistani personnel were killed and over 60 injured in Indian Army strikes. He accused India of violating Pakistan’s sovereignty by using standoff weapons from within Indian airspace. However, India maintains it acted strictly in self-defence, targeting terrorist infrastructure.
An Indian Army spokesperson confirmed that during the night of May 7 and 8, Pakistan’s military shelled Indian forward posts using heavy artillery along the LoC and the international border. In response, the Indian Army destroyed several enemy posts, inflicting heavy casualties.
Pakistan Targets Border Villages After Indian Missile Strikes
Earlier, Pakistan’s army conducted intense shelling targeting villages near the LoC, just after the Indian Armed Forces launched missile attacks on nine terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). This marks one of the heaviest shellings by Pakistan in recent years.
Due to the shelling, hundreds of civilians were forced to seek refuge in underground bunkers or flee to safer locations. Homes, vehicles, and even a Gurdwara were destroyed, creating panic in Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla, and Kupwara districts.
Also Read- How ‘Operation Sindoor’ Was Planned and How the Attack Was Carried Out
Pakistani Army Posts Destroyed
Indian officials said the Army’s counterattack severely damaged multiple Pakistani military positions, resulting in further enemy casualties. This is the first instance of such intense cross-border shelling since the ceasefire agreement renewal on February 25, 2021. All 13 fatalities reported occurred in Poonch, while 42 people were injured, including two critically. Shelling was reported from Balakote, Mendhar, Mankote, Krishna Ghati, Gulpur, Kerni, and even near the Poonch district headquarters.
The cross-border shelling continued heavily until the afternoon and intermittently afterward, mostly within the Poonch sector. It hampered rescue efforts, with difficulties in transporting the wounded to hospitals. Poonch Bus Stand was also hit, damaging several buses. A Gurdwara and nearby homes were also struck by shells, leading to the death of three Sikhs. Several political parties in Punjab have condemned the attack.
Innocent Lives Targeted by Pakistan
In Uri (Baramulla), five children were among ten injured, and three more were wounded in Rajouri. In Karnah (Kupwara), shelling caused fires in multiple homes. The deceased have been identified as Balwinder Kaur alias Ruby (33), Mohammad Jain Khan (10), his sister Zoya Khan (12), Mohammad Akram (40), Amrik Singh (55), Mohammad Iqbal (45), Ranjit Singh (48), Shakeela B (40), Amarjeet Singh (47), Maryam Khatoon (7), Vihaan Bhargav (13), Mohammad Rafi (40), and a Lance Naik from the Indian Army.
This marks the 13th consecutive night of unprovoked firing along the border in Jammu and Kashmir following the Pahalgam terror attack, escalating tensions in the region.