Pak suffers heavy casualties, infra damage
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Oct 12: Two persons including an Army soldier and a defence porter attained martyrdom while six others including a porter were injured, a couple of them seriously, in heavy firing by Pakistan army in Khari Karmara area of Poonch sector this morning while Pakistani troops also suffered heavy losses in retaliatory firing by the Indian side that led to fierce exchanges for couple of hours.
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Indian side retaliated very effectively in which several forward posts and bunkers of Pakistan army were decimated. Pakistani troops were also reported to have suffered heavy casualties, both fatal and non-fatal.
Sources told the Excelsior that Pakistan army violated ceasefire by resorting to heavy firing targeting forward posts of the Indian soldiers and some civilian pockets at Khari Karmara, near Chakan-Da-Bagh, in Poonch sector at 10.35 am today inviting strong retaliation from the Indian side.
Heavy exchange of firing continued for more than two hours.
Sources said an Army jawan and a defence porter were martyred in the Pakistan firing while six others were injured, two of them seriously. A porter was among the injured. Army evacuated dead and injured from the forward posts and shifted them to Poonch from where the injured were airlifted to Command Hospital in Udhampur.
The martyrs have been identified as Sepoy TK Reddy and defence porter Mohammad Zahir.
Sepoy TK Reddy, 21, belonged to village Obulapuram, Tehsil Giddaluru, District Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh and is survived by his mother Gurrumma while defence porter Mohammad Zahir, 22, belonged to village Kalali in Manjakote tehsil of Rajouri district.
“Sepoy TK Reddy was a brave and sincere soldier while Mohammad Zahir was honest and dedicated works. The nation will always remain indebted to them for supreme sacrifice and devotion to duty,” a Defence spokesman said.
Injured have been identified as Sepoy Kedar Gauri Shankar of Solapur, Maharashtra, Sepoy Nitesh Nare, Naik Rupnar Babasaheb Janaku R/o Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Naik R Munthupondu of Tamil Nadu, Sepoy Narendra Kumar of Chhattisgarh and Mohammad Isaq son of Jamaludin R/o Kurhed, Peliniha, Rajouri, a defence porter.
Sources said Pakistan army suffered heavy losses in retaliatory action by the Indian troops.
There were reports that a number of forward posts and bunkers of Pakistani troops were destroyed in retaliation in which some Pakistan army personnel were killed and injured. Shelling from Pakistan side stopped immediately after their troops suffered heavy damages in retaliation. Hectic activity could be seen on Pakistan side after counter attack by the Indian side. Pakistani ambulances could be seen shifting dead and injured to the hospitals.
According to sources, some militants have also gathered at launching pads on Pakistan side of the LoC opposite border district of Poonch. They could attempt infiltration into the Indian territory under the cover of ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops. However, the Indian Army was maintaining strict vigil all along LoC to give befitting reply to ceasefire violations as well as infiltration attempts from Pakistan side, they said.
“Intensity of firing by Pakistani troops was less targeted towards civilian areas and more on forward posts of the Army,” sources said, adding that rounds, however, landed in civilian areas of Khari Karmara and surroundings but the civilians were already alert and took shelter in available bunkers, houses and other areas to save themselves.
Khari Karmara village, which was heavily shelled today, is located adjacent to Chakan-Da-Bagh point in Poonch district from where cross-LoC bus and trucks used to operate when travel and trade was operational between Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) on Poonch-Rawlakote route.
However, cross-LoC trade and travel was suspended on Poonch-Rawlakote route on July 10 in view of heavy mortar shelling and firing by Pakistani troops at various places on LoC in twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri including Chakan-Da-Bagh from where cross-LoC bus and trucks used to cross over to Rawlakote from Poonch prior to July 10.
There has been no let up in Pakistan shelling and firing along LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts since May this years in which some Army and BSF personnel, besides civilians, have been killed while a number of others were injured. In retaliatory firing by India, Pakistan has suffered immense damage with large number of Pakistani troops killed and injured and their infrastructure in forward areas destroyed.
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