Heavy shelling near LoC, Pak trooper killed

SRINAGAR: The Indian and Pakistani Armies exchanged heavy mortar shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri and Poonch districts. The skirmishes which came hours after the IAF carried out strikes across the de facto border triggered panic among the border-dwellers.

Reports received here said that intense shelling took place in Balakote and Krishna Ghati areas of Poonch district. Dozens of mortar shells fired from across the LoC landed in Balakote, the police said, but added that there were no casualties reported.

The Indian Army retaliated to the Pakistani firing and the exchanges continues for some time, affecting Nowshehra, Baba Khori, Kalal, Pokhra and Tarkundi areas of Rajouri district also.

The police officials said that the authorities had a few days ago asked the people living in as many as 27 villages along the LoC in Nowshera sector to be ready to vacate their homes at short notice. The border-dwellers had been asked to carry with them only essential belongings when asked to shift to temporary shelters set up in schools and government buildings away from the firing range.

Rajouri deputy commissioner Mohammed Ajaz Assad had after visiting the areas which were affected by Pakistani firing recently said that though the majority of the villagers wanted to stay back, they were informed that that the government has set up makeshift camps and also informed the border dwellers about the evacuation plan.

Meanwhile, the Border Security Force (BSF) on Tuesday claimed that one trooper from Pakistan Rangers was killed in retaliatory firing.