4 more civilians killed in Pak shelling across border, thousands flee homes

Srinagar: Thousands of people are fleeing their homes as cross-border firing between Indian and Pakistani border guards in J&K's Jammu region intensified on Wednesday, leaving, at least four civilians dead and more than thirty others injured.

Among those injured are five Border Security Force (BSF) jawans, three of them critical condition. The injured civilians have been rushed to various hospitals including the government-run Medical College Hospital in Jammu.

The BSF officials said the Pakistani border guards resorted to unprovoked heavy mortar shelling at its border outposts and civilian areas early Wednesday, prompting it (BSF) to retaliate befittingly. The flare up comes a day after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said the forces have a free hand to respond as they deem fit if the neighbouring country continues the offensive.

Speaking at the BSF’s 16th investiture ceremony function in New Delhi, Rajnath Singh said, "We have a neighbour that does not want to correct itself”.

He also said, “Yet, we must not fire the first bullet at our neighbour. But if it opens fire, you (forces) have to decide what action to take. Then no one will ask why you did so.”

Earlier, the BSF had reported that the Pakistan’s Punjab Rangers targeted its 24 Border Outposts (BOPs) along the International Border (IB) in Samba, Kathua and Jammu districts.

With fresh killings the toll in days of exchange of mortar and small and medium automatic weapons between the BSF and Punjab Rangers along the Jammu-Sialkot border has risen to 17. While two BSF jawans and nine civilians have been killed and more than fifty injured on the Indian side of the border, the authorities in Islamabad had reported death of six civilians and injuries to ten others on their side of the border on May 18. The fresh skirmishes began on May 15.