Pakistan`s ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir have claimed lives of 13 civilians in the Poonch sector, and injured a total of 59 people, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday, reported news agency PTI.
Out of the total injured, 44 were from Poonch, the external publicity division of the MEA said.
The Pakistan Army has been resorting to heavy shelling in several sectors along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir that was effectively responded to by the Indian Army, military officials said, reported PTI.
The intensity of Pakistani shelling has increased following India`s military strikes on nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir early Wednesday.
“During the intervening night of May 7 and 8, Pakistan Army posts resorted to unprovoked fire using small arms and artillery guns across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri and Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir,” a military official said, reported PTI.
“The Indian Army responded proportionately,” the official added.
In view of the escalating tension, the authorities have ordered that all educational institutions in five border districts of the Jammu region will remain closed for the second day on Thursday.
The intense shelling by the Pakistani army along the LoC came in retaliation for the May 7 `Operation Sindoor` in which India`s armed forces targeted a total of nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Pakistan has been resorting to unprovoked small-arms ceasefire since the night of April 25-26.
After Operation Sindoor, the Pakistan Army continued its series of ceasefire violations by targeting civilian areas in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Officials said the shelling caused panic among villagers and damaged several houses. Shelling by Pakistan damaged civilian infrastructure, shattered window panes and cracked walls.
Meanwhile, the Indian Army has proportionately responded to the unprovoked small-arms and artillery guns firing by the Pakistani Army across the Line of Control (LoC) during the night of May 7 and May 8, as the Pakistan Army resorted to firing in areas opposite in Kupwara and Baramulla districts and Uri and Akhnoor sectors in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian Army is closely monitoring ceasefire violations by Pakistan after the Indian forces conducted the precise strikes on nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir under Operation Sindoor on Wednesday.
The strikes were aimed at avenging the Pahalgam attack victims and eliminating key Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leaders and camps involved in planning attacks on Indian soil.
(With inputs from PTI)
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