Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Oct 12: For third consecutive day today, Pakistan Army today resorted to heavy shelling and firing in four sectors of Poonch district even as senior officers of civil and police administration rushed to Mendhar and inter-acted with the civilians putting up in forward areas to prevent their migration to safer areas in view of resumed mortar shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC).
Reports said Pakistan Army started mortar shelling and heavy firing on forward posts and villages in Mendhar, Balakote, Mankote and Bhimber Gali sectors of Poonch district at 7.20 pm this evening, violating ceasefire agreement.
The Indian side retaliated effectively, leading to heavy exchanges, which continued till late tonight. Firing and shelling were intense during first two hours while intensity of the firing came down later. Intermittent exchanges continued till late tonight.
“No casualties or damage was reported on the Indian side in the firing,” reports said, adding the people putting up in the forward areas stayed indoors during the shelling and firing.
Yesterday, three jawans of Pakistan Army were killed and an equal number were injured in retaliatory firing by the Indian troops in Goi sector of Pakistan’s Red Kathar area opposite Mendhar sector. It was from Goi sector that Pakistani troops had been shelling civilian population on the Indian side.
This was for third consecutive day today that Pakistan Army has resorted to shelling and firing on forward Indian Army posts and civilian areas. In the month of August, shelling and firing had become a regular affair in Poonch district while in September, only firing was exchanged between the two sides. However, it was during past three days that Pakistan Army has resumed shelling especially in the civilian areas.
Meanwhile, SSP Poonch Shamsheer Hussain and Deputy Commissioner Poonch Sajjad Ahmad Khan today visited Mendhar and inter-acted with the civilians of forward areas, which were being shelled by the Pakistani troops. SDPO Mendhar Amit Bhasin and SHO Mendhar Inspector Bishnesh Kumar joined them.
The panic-stricken people of Deri Dabsi, Basooni, Langiot, Darana Top and surroundings apprised the officers about the firing and shelling in their villages by the Pakistani. They said half a dozen cattle have perished in fresh spell of shelling by the Pakistani troops.
Reports said Moulvi Mohammad Ayub Naqashbandi, Imam of Jama Masjid, Mendhar showed the bullets to the officers that fell in his house yesterday. The Imam had a narrow escaped in the Pakistani firing.
The civil and police officers talked to the people, who assured that they would stay put in the forward villages despite heavy shelling and firing by the Pakistani troops, which were aimed at forcing migration of the civilian population.
Yesterday, the shelling and firing by the Pakistani troops was confined to Balakote and Mendhar sector while today it was extended to Mankote and Bhimber Gali, reports added.
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