Excelsior Correspondent
POONCH, May 30: A major tragedy was averted in Poonch city after a live 25mm Pakistani mortar shell was recovered from Jogger Park near Sher-e-Kashmir Bridge and later safely destroyed by the Army.
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The incident came to light on Saturday morning when local resident Shehraj Hussain Shah, who had arrived at the park for his routine morning walk, noticed a suspicious object lying inside the premises. On the inspection, he suspected it to be a live shell and immediately warned nearby people to stay away from the area.
Realising the seriousness of the situation, Shah promptly informed the police. Acting on the directions of DySP Headquarters Neeraj Sharma, SHO Sunil Singh and his team rushed to the spot, secured the area, and prevented civilians from approaching the unexploded ordnance.
The shell was carefully removed from the public park and shifted to a safer location near the stream beneath Sher-e-Kashmir Bridge to eliminate any immediate threat to public safety.
According to local residents, the unexploded shell is believed to be a remnant of the heavy shelling carried out by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, when several areas of Poonch came under intense cross-border fire. The shell is suspected to have remained unexploded and unnoticed until its discovery.
Speaking to the media, Shehraj Hussain Shah said that being a resident of a border area, he was familiar with identifying unexploded shells and ordnance. He noted that such objects are occasionally found in border regions and are later neutralised by security agencies.
Subsequently, an Army Bomb Disposal Squad was called in, and the live mortar shell was safely destroyed following standard operating procedures.
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