J&K: Civilians Worried About Their Safety Following Shelling By Pak Forces

Normal lives came to a standstill in Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district following Pakistan's unprovoked ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) that has caused heavy damages to the Indian side with houses and crop fields being destroyed due to constant shelling.

Civilians have expressed concerns over the constant shelling in the region by Pakistani forces and are worried about their safety.

"We were sleeping yesterday night when we heard noises of constant shelling. Immediately, we came out of the house. Our house was damaged due to the shelling. There is debris everywhere. There was a lot of firing and smoke in our area. We are living in fear. We are scared when will the next shelling occur," Pervez Ahmad, a local, told ANI on Monday.

He said that food provisions have been disrupted and crop fields destroyed as a result of the heavy shelling.

"There were important documents in the house. All of them are burnt. No one can have their tea and food without any relief. Three people have been injured," Pervez added.

"They (Pakistan) should stop continuous shelling. This is our request. Due to this, civilians are losing their lives everyday," he further said.

Echoing similar sentiments, another local, named Imtiaz Ahmad, lamented that he lost all his important documents due to fire in the house which happened due to heavy shelling.

"We were sleeping at around 11-11:30 pm when the firing began. We came out of the house to see. After a few minutes, shelling began and many houses have been destroyed. Our important documents including ID card, college degrees have been burnt," he said.

Heavy shelling by the Pakistan forces in the residential areas of the Manyari village in the border area of the Kathua district on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday also destroyed a house and a rice godown, along with damages to two vehicles and two cow shelters with 19 cattle and sheep inside.

The Indian Army gave a fitting response to the unprovoked ceasefire violation by the Pakistan forces.

Indian forces escalated the scale of attacks and started targetting the terrorist camps situated inside Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation to the support provided by Pakistan Army to push terrorists into Indian territory.

Four to five Pakistan Army soldiers were killed and several others injured after Indian Army launched artillery attacks on terrorist camps situated inside Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) opposite the Tangdhar sector in Jammu and Kashmir, sources told ANI. 

(ANI)