SRINAGAR/ JAMMU: Pakistani forces violated ceasefire on Sunday morning and resorted to indiscriminate shelling, killing five members of a family and injuring two others at Mendhar area along the Line of Control in Poonch district of
Jammu and Kashmir. Two people who sustained injuries were airlifted to Jammu for treatment.
The ceasefire violation came amid a heightened diplomatic tension between the two countries over alleged harassment of diplomats.
“Pakistan began heavy unprovoked firing around 7.45am which lasted for nearly four hours. Pakistan forces fired automatics, small arms and mortars and targeted civilian localities much deep inside Indian territory — at least three-four km from the LoC. There is no
Army deployment or any installation in the area,” a defence spokesperson said in Jammu.
The deceased were identified by cops as Mohammad Ramzan, his wife and their three sons. The two injured daughters of the couple were airlifted to a Jammu hospital where their condition was stated to be critical.
“Pakistan continues in its cowardly design of targeting innocent civilians, their homes and livestock in villages close to the LoC. The deliberate provocation has resulted in the loss of five precious and innocent civilian lives,” the Army spokesperson said.
DGP SP Vaid confirmed the death of five civilians and said the police began an operation to evacuate people from forward areas. “Five civilian deaths have been reported in the Pakistani firing. The district administration has airlifted two critically injured minor girls after preliminary treatment at a Rajouri hospital to Jammu,” he told TOI.
“Anguished to hear of five people losing lives in the crossfire along LoC in Poonch. My deepest condolences to their family,” CM
Mehbooba Mufti tweeted. “Peace is the only way forward. Initiatives were started by former PM AB Vajpayee Ji with his Lahore bus journey & were later carried on in the same spirit by PM
Narendra Modi. Sadly they were sabotaged at
Pathankot. We need to get on the right track if we want to save the people of J&K,” she said in another tweet, referring to the 2016 terror attack on an Air Force Station in Punjab.
PTI photo
