Villagers along LoC being shifted to safer places after Pakistan shells mortars

The administration in north Kashmir’s Uri sector has planned to move people of some villages along the Line of Control (LoC) to safer locations after ceasefire violation during the night. Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling at multiple places along the LoC after Indian Air Force carried out strike at terror camp on Tuesday.

Officials said that shells fired from Pakistani side fell at Kamalkote and Kalgai villages which are located along the LoC. A senior police officer said that there has been no loss of life or property in Uri by the shelling.

A senior officer said people of some villages in Uri will be shifted to safer places.

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Locals said that Indian Army used artillery to fire shells towards Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). “We are living in fear and since 3 am we have been hearing sounds of shelling,” said Zaffar, a resident of Uri.

Pakistan violated 2003-ceasefire agreement by shelling mortars using battalion level artillery through the night. In the Uri sector, the two sides exchanged fire that began around 3 am on Wednesday morning.

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Earlier, the IAF destroyed what was understood to have been the biggest terror camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed at Balakot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for the Pulwama terror attack, in which at least 40 CRPF jawans were killed.

However, Pakistan continued to deny involvement in the Pulwama attack and blamed India for trying to disturb peace in the region as New Delhi took a series of steps to corner Islamabad. The IAF strike at Jaish terror camp, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said, was “pre-emptive” and “non-military” in nature.

He said the IAF targeted only the terror camp of the Jaish-e-Mohammed in the hilly forested region to avoid civilian casualties. By Tuesday evening, Pakistan violated ceasefire at multiple locations along the LoC.

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“The Indian Army retaliated for effect and our focused fire resulted in severe destruction to 05 posts and number of casualties to the Pakistani army,” said defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand.

To escape heavy response from the Indian border forces, Pakistan Army used villagers on the other side of the LoC as human shield, the spokesperson said.

“Pakistani troops were also seen firing mortars and missiles from civilian houses, using villagers as human shields. However, the Indian Army targeted the Pakistani posts away from civilian localities,” Lt Col Devender Anand said.

Tension has escalated between India and Pakistan after Pakistan-based terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed targeted a convoy of 78 vehicles carrying more than 2,500 soldiers on February 14. The convoy was targeted on Jammu-Srinagar highway in south Kashmir’s Pulwama. The terror attack was condemned by international community with many supporting India’s right to self-defence against the forces of terror.

(With inputs from Ravi Krishnan Khajuria in Jammu)

First Published: Feb 27, 2019 10:19 IST