Several Army posts, villages under intense Pak shelling

Woman injured in Pak shelling being taken to hospital in Nowshera an Saturday. -Excelsior/ Amit Sharma
Woman injured in Pak shelling being taken to hospital in Nowshera an Saturday. -Excelsior/ Amit Sharma

Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 19: Faced by the worst ever humiliation of suffering extensive damages at the hands of Indian Army, Pakistani troops today resorted to heavy shelling using 120mm and 82mm mortars and firing with automatic weapons targeting over two dozen Army posts and civilian locations spread over three sectors of Nowshera, Sunde-rbani and Pallanwalla along the Line of Control (LoC) in which two jawans of Army and BSF and a woman were injured.
A number of houses were damaged in fresh round of mortar shelling while entire population of five villages in Pallanwalla sector of Jammu district shifted to safer locations in Khour as soon as heavy shelling and firing started around this noon.
Though there has been no migration in Nowshera sector by late this evening, the people were panicked and could shift to safer areas if shelling continued. Over a dozen goats of a nomad were killed and almost an equal number of others were injured in shelling at forward village of Gai Panyas in Sunderbani sector this evening.
Official reports said Pakistan army started unprovoked heavy shelling in forward areas of Nowshera sector targeting Indian Army posts and civilian areas at Kalsian, Numb, Kharali, Ghania and Sher Makri at around 10.30 am. Pakistan army violated ceasefire using automatic weapons but soon switched over to shelling using heavy caliber 120mm and 82mm mortars prompting very effective response from the Indian side.
About half an hour later, Pakistan troops opened two more fronts on the LoC in Sunderbani and Pallanwalla sectors bordering Rajouri and Jammu districts. At both these sectors too, Pakistan army violated ceasefire using similar kind of mortars and automatic weapons.
As more than two dozen posts of the Indian Army and forward villages at the three sectors on LoC came under intense shelling, the troops from this side gave very effective response to the misadventures by the enemy troops, leading to heavy exchanges that continued till late this evening, albeit intermittently, when the reports last came in.
People from forward villages of Keri, Nathu Tibba, Chapryal and Battal in Pallanwalla sector, which were directly targeted by Pakistan army to cause civilian casualties, left their houses as soon as 120mm mortars started falling close to their houses and took shelter in safer locations at Khour.
Reports said that about 1500 people from Pallanwalla sector have taken shelter in the camps at Khour while others have left for the houses of their relatives and friends. Majority of villages in Pallanwalla sector, where population is settled very close to the LoC, were being deserted by the villagers as soon as the firing or shelling starts as they could become targets of Pakistan firing. Already, a youth has been killed in Pakistan shelling in Pallanwalla while several others were injured since ceasefire violations started along LoC and IB after September 29 surgical strikes by the Indian Army in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in which 50 militants and Pakistani troopers were killed.
SHO Pallanwalla Inspector Ravinder Rakwal and other police officers visited the migrant camps and Pallanwalla sector.
A 55-year old woman Shanti Devi wife of Isher Dass, a resident of Makri, Jhanghar in Nowshera sector was injured when a mortar shell fell and exploded close to her house causing extensive damage to the structure. She was evacuated from the shelling site and admitted in the Sub District Hospital (SDH), Nowshera, where her condition was stated to be stable. An Army jawan sepoy Kala Singh was injured in Pakistan shelling at Kalsian in Nowshera sector while BSF jawan Laltu Hasda was injured in shelling at Keri in Sunderbani sector. Both of them have been hospitalised.
Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Nowshera, Harbans Lal visited forward areas of Nowshera sector. Sources said the administration has made arrangements for accommodating the people of forward villages if they migrate from their houses due to continue shelling and firing from Pakistan side. However, so far there was no migration from any of the border villages in Nowshera sector.
Noting that Pakistan army was heavily shelling civilian areas in Nowshera and Pallanwalla sectors, sources said Pakistani troops after suffering heavy losses in retaliatory firing by the Indian troops including killing of their seven jawans in just one day at Bhimber sector opposite Nowshera, were frustrated and were targeting civilian areas.
“Pakistan army has been frustrated after suffering heavy loss of lives and posts and was now targeting Indian Army posts and civilian areas,” they said, adding that Pakistan could also try to push infiltrators into this side under the cover of shelling and firing. However, according to sources, troops were maintaining very high alert especially in Nowshera sector and were ready to meet with any eventuality.
There have been 286 plus ceasefire violations by Pakistan along LoC and International Border post September 29 surgical strikes. However, the IB has been calm since November 1 while the LoC remained active.

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