Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 14: Seven Pakistan army personnel were killed across Line of Control (LoC) in Nowshera area of Rajouri district last night while an Indian trooper and a civilian were injured in fresh round of shelling and firing between the two sides in Sunderbani, Nowshera, Akhnoor and Poonch today.
Inter State Public Relations (ISPR), an official twitter account of Pakistan army confirmed the killing of seven Pakistan army jawans in Bhimber sector opposite Nowshera in Rajouri district last night. It said all seven Pakistan army troopers were killed in ceasefire violations by the Indian side.
Later, the ISPR posted a photograph showing Army chief Rahil Sharief attending last rites of the slain jawans at Jhelum in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The ISPR identified Pakistan’s killed jawans as Havaldar Zafar Hussain, L/Nk Shoukat Ali, L/Hav Ibrar Ahmed, Sepoy Mohammad Ilyas, Sepoy Mohammad Tanweer, L/Nk Mohammad Haleem and Sepoy Pervaiz Akram.
There was no official statement from the Indian Army on the elimination of seven Pakistan army troopers but it blamed Pakistan army for resorting to shelling and firing with automatic weapons in Sunderbani, Nowshera and Pallanwalla sector of Rajouri and Jammu district respectively this afternoon.
Reliable sources, however, said that action against Pakistan army had been necessitated to decimate their posts, which had shelled forward civilian areas during past few days. Nearly half a dozen Pakistani posts have been destroyed to save the civilians from shelling, they added.
Two Indian Army jawans were killed and five others injured when their vehicle was hit by mortar shell at Jhanghar in Nowshera sector on the evening of November 8.
“The killing of seven Pakistan army jawans was a big blow to the enemy troops, who had been resorting to unprovoked firing and shelling on civilian areas along LoC as well as International Border (IB),” sources said.
In another statement, Pakistan Foreign Office has said that death from Indian shelling has risen to 25, which included civilians, in the past some days.
Meanwhile, sources said that Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked and heavy shelling on forward Army posts and civilian areas in Nowshera, Sunderbani and Pallanwalla sectors, all falling along LoC, at 2.40 am today.
Pakistan army used 82mm mortars and automatic weapons in shelling and firing, which was replied very effectively at all the places. The shelling stopped around 5 pm while intermittent exchange of firing continued for some more time.
A civilian Mangat Ram, 67, son of Sain Dass, a resident of village Sainth, Khour was injured in Pakistan shelling at Pallanwalla. He was admitted to Community Health Centre (CHC), Khour, where his condition was stated to be stable.
An Army jawan, Vinay Davraj, 27, a resident of Uttarakhand, was also injured in Pakistan firing at Khadi Kadmar in Poonch early today. Firing in Khadi Kadmar lasted few minutes only.
Sources said barring two injuries-one Army jawan and another civilian-there were no other casualties-fatal or non-fatal-on the Indian side in fresh round of Pakistan shelling in Sunderbani, Nowshera and Pallanwalla sectors.
The fresh shelling and firing by the Pakistan army came after a truce of nearly a week along the LoC in both border districts of Rajouri and Poonch. There has been no shelling or firing along the International Border (IB) since November 1 when six civilians were killed in Ramgarh sector. Same day, civilians had died in Pakistan shelling in Manjakote sector of Rajouri district.
Meanwhile, following return of normalcy on the International Border (IB), the administration today ordered re-opening of all 172 educational institutions, which had been closed on November 1 due to heavy shelling at Ramgarh, from tomorrow.
However, all schools along the border in Pallanwala sector will remain closed.
All these schools, which had been located along IB especially falling within shelling and firing range of Pakistan army and Rangers, were closed as a precautionary measure in view of heavy shelling from Pakistan side.
According to sources, majority of civilians, who had migrated from forward villages of LoC and IB on November 1 and before in view of Pakistani shelling, have returned to their houses. However, they were not venturing out of their houses for a long period of time in anticipation of fresh shelling from Pakistan side.
With reports of the killings of seven Pakistan army jawans, there was again panic among the villagers that Pakistan could target the innocent civilians to take revenge of the killing of their jawans. However, there had been no fresh migration from any part of the LoC during the day today.
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