India ready to ‘retaliate resolutely’ if Pak escalates tensions: NSA
India briefs 5 countries after strikes on Pakistan; says no civilian, economic or military targets chosen
J-K border residents shifted to safer zones amid Pak shelling
Shadow Correspondent
Poonch, May 07:
At 12 civilians, including a woman and three children between the ages of 12 and 14, were killed and 42 others were injured in overnight heavy firing and shelling by Pakistan military across the Line of Control and International Border in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Wednesday.
Life in Poonch town came to a grinding halt after Pakistan resorted to artillery shelling on civilian areas in this border district, where people were forced to leave their houses for safer places.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Dr Parvez Khan, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Poonch, confirmed that 12 civilians had died while 42 others were injured in shelling during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday. Heavy shelling was going on in the area intermittently at the time of filing this report.
“So far, 12 people have been killed in Poonch district, and around 42 people have been injured. We are providing the best possible treatment to the injured in this tough and demanding situation,” Dr Khan said. Of the injured, two critically wounded were shifted to GMC Jammu, he said.
Indian armed forces carried out ‘Operation Sindoor’ during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday, targeting at least nine terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including Bahawalpur, which is a major base of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit.
Fear Grips Poonch
Forced to take cover within their homes and bunkers designed for such a situation, people across Poonch are in deep fear as they attempt to save their lives amid heavy shelling and loud sounds of gunfire.
“We are staying indoors and that too in the basement to save our lives as shells continue to land in the town, leaving behind death and destruction. The town is lifeless at present as people are only thinking of saving their lives. Many people, who had settled in the district headquarters from rural areas to earn a livelihood for their families, have left for their native places, leaving behind their business establishments,” Sabar Bitta, a resident of old town Poonch, told ETV Bharat.
“My family and I are staying in the basement with the hope that no shells land in the vicinity. Many people are leaving for Jammu. Others are staying in the town with hopes that shelling will stop and life will be back to normal,” Bitta said.
Hundreds of people have already left towards Jammu, even as heavy shelling is going on with Poonch town as the target since midnight. Locals are also arranging transport for people stuck in the areas where shells are landing to evacuate them to safer places.
“There is a tense situation in Poonch as destruction is happening all over. Nobody is aware of what is happening outside as shells continue to land everywhere,” said Zamrud, a local scribe in Poonch.
According to locals, shells have landed near Poonch fort, sports stadium, ITI College and on homes of civilians. There is hardly any traffic on roads, except vehicles in which people are seen leaving the town. Shops, schools, colleges and other educational institutions have been closed on the administration’s order.
‘Poonch Gurudwara Hit By Pakistan, 3 Sikh Devotees Killed’
Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal said Pakistan forces had targeted the central Gurudwara in Poonch, killing three Sikh devotees.
In a post on X, Badal said: “Strongly condemn the inhuman attack by Pakistani forces on the sacred Central Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Poonch, in which three innocent Gursikhs, including Bhai Amrik Singh Ji (a raagi Singh), Bhai Amarjeet Singh and Bhai Ranjit Singh lost their lives.”
Badal expressed solidarity with the families of the deceased and prayed for peace for the departed and courage for their friends and loved ones. “We demand that the martyrs be honoured for their sacrifice and that the bereaved families receive adequate compensation to support them in their time of grief. The Sikhs have always been, and will continue to be, the sword arm of the country. We stand like a rock with our armed forces,” he said.
“Although the Shiromani Akali Dal and our country stand for peace, if our honour is challenged by the enemy, we need no reminder to fulfil our patriotic duties,” he added.
Poonch town is close to the Line of Control (LoC), the dividing line between two parts of Jammu and Kashmir, where for the last 13 days, the Pakistani Army had resorted to ceasefire violations.
Last night, when Indian forces launched ‘Operation Sindoor’ and targeted terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistani Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Pakistani Army resorted to heavy shelling along the LoC.
Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Wednesday told his counterparts in various countries that India has no intent to escalate tensions but is prepared to “retaliate resolutely” if Pakistan does so, officials said.
Doval briefed his counterparts in the US, UK, Saudi Arabia and Japan about India’s missile strikes against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He also established contact with Russia and France, officials said.
“NSA briefed his counterparts on actions taken and method of execution, which was measured, non-escalatory and restrained. He emphasised that India had no intent to escalate but was well prepared to retaliate resolutely should Pakistan decide to escalate,” an official said.
The conversations took place soon after India carried out Operation Sindoor at nine sites.
He spoke to US NSA and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, UK’s Jonathan Powell, Saudi Arabia’s Musaid Al Aiban, UAE’s H.H. Sheikh Tahnoon, and Japan’s Masataka Okano.
“Contact was also established with Russian NSA Sergei Shoigu, Member of Political Bureau of CPC Central Committee and Minister of Foreign Affairs of PRC Wang Yi and Diplomatic Adviser to French President Emmanuel Bonne,” the official said.
Doval will be in further touch with his counterparts in the days ahead.
Meanwhile, Hundreds of residents along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) here were evacuated to safer zones on Wednesday as authorities chalked out countermeasures to safeguard civilians from Pakistani shelling.
As many as 12 people, including four children and two women, were killed and over 50 injured when the Pakistan army pounded forward villages in Poonch and Rajouri in Jammu region and Baramulla and Kupwara in north Kashmir with artillery and mortar shelling earlier during the day.
The shelling from across the border started shortly after Indian armed forces carried out missile attacks on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir to avenge the April 22 terror attack in south Kashmir’s Pahalgam that had left 26 civilians, mostly tourists, dead.
“Though there was no cross-border firing in our village, we have been told to shift to ITI College in R S Pura where necessary arrangements have been made by the government for our lodgment in view of the prevailing tense situation,” Liaqat Ali, a resident of Jorian village near the IB, told PTI.
Ali said the village had suffered immensely and had even been burned to the ground in the past by Pakistani shelling.
“We have been told to move out for our safety, and we are following the directions of the government,” he said, adding the village has a population of more than 1,000, mostly earning their livelihood by selling milk and milk products.
He said they are afraid of a full-scale war between India and Pakistan following the recent civilian killings by terrorists in Pahalgam.
The residents of Gagrian and adjoining villages, including Pragwal near the LoC in Akhnoor sector, said they have also been informed by the authorities to shift to safer places.
“We have always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our security forces to secure the borders. A policeman came to the village and asked the people to take shelter either in a government accommodation or at a relative’s house for the time being,” Munshi Ram said.
He said the local residents are the eyes and ears of the security agencies but the prevailing war-like situation has caused a major concern for the people living on the borders.
“It is safe to move out for the time being till the situation normalises,” Ram said.
The officials said the district administration has mobilised all its resources to make necessary arrangements for the convenience of people, especially females, so that they do not face any problem at the temporary shelter homes.
However, the situation was altogether different in the affected areas like Poonch where people were seen moving to safer zones on their own.
“We had a sleepless night… I was waiting for the shelling to stop to shift my family of six to a relative’s house,” Mohd Arshid, a resident of the worst-hit Mankote, said.
A woman lost her life, and several others, including her minor daughter, were injured in the heavy shelling in the village early Wednesday.
“There is nothing like peace, but the Pahalgam terror attack left our government and forces with no option but to launch strikes across the border to dismantle terror camps,” Ravinder Singh, a local resident, said.
In Jammu, meanwhile, groups of people took out rallies and chanted slogans in praise of the country and the armed forces for undertaking the precision strikes.
“The Pahalgam terror victims have been given justice today,” Pawan Gupta, a shopkeeper, said, lauding the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He expressed grief over the loss of innocent lives in the Pakistani shelling in Poonch and said the government needed to take necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safety of the border population.
Political leaders, including Pradesh Congress Committee president Tariq Hameed Karra and former Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina, condemned the Pakistani shelling on the civilian areas.
“Pakistan’s mindlessly targeting civilian areas in Poonch, Mendhar, and Uri sectors is highly condemnable and against International conventions. We earnestly urge the government to ensure secure evacuation and comprehensive rehabilitation for affected families,” Karra said on X.
He urged the party workers to lead frontline efforts in supporting and aiding the affected communities.
Raina also criticised Pakistan for targeting innocent civilians living close to the border and said the BJP-led government at the centre will ensure proper rehabilitation of the people affected by the cross-border shelling.
