Amid diplomatic standoff between India and Pakistan, tensions escalated further along the fragile Line of Control (LoC) on Sunday morning following heavy shelling in civilian areas in which five members of a family including three young children were killed while two minor daughters were critically injured in Balakote sector of Mendhar tehsil in Poonch.

According to Defence PRO Lt-Col Devendra Anand in Jammu, “the Pakistan Army initiated ‘unprovoked’ and indiscriminate firing from 7.45 am along the LoC in Balakote sector using 81 mm and 120 mm mortar shells.”

After targeting some of the forward posts, the Pakistan Army suddenly switched gears and started targeting civilian areas at least 3-4 kms deep inside the Indian territory using heavy weaponary.

In response to the major provocation, the Indian Army too hit back strongly and gave them a befitting reply. “The Indian Army has retaliated strongly, effectively and proportionately to the dastardly act,” the Defence PRO said. The firing continued till 11.30 am, he added. More than 400 ceasefire violations have already been reported along the 778 km long LoC since January 1, 2018. The ceasefire agreement was reached between the two neighbouring countries on November 26, 2003.

A local villager identified as Mohd Ramzan, working as a porter with the Indian Army, along with his wife and three children were killed while they were preparing to eat their breakfast. A mortar shell had landed inside their house leaving behind a trail of death and destruction.

According to Rashida Choudhary, sister-in-law of Ramzan, the family was getting ready to sip tea when they were hit by splinters of mortar shell. Three children aged between 14 and 7, along with Mohd Ramzan and his wife Malika Bi were killed on the spot.

All of them had received fatal splinter injuries and died on the spot. Their bodies were punctured by the piercing splinters.

“Two critically injured minor daughters identified as Nasreen and Mehreen were airlifted by 132 FAC flight from Rajouri to Government Medical College Hospital in Jammu for advance treatment. Flight Lieutenant Mittal and Flying officer Akash immediately swung into action and shifted the critically injured minor girls to Jammu,” the Defence PRO said.

Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in her first reaction to the Pakistan aggression tweeted, “Anguished to hear of 5 people losing their lives in the crossfire along the LoC in the Balakote sector of Poonch. My deepest condolences to their family.”

Holding Pakistan responsible for sabotaging the dialogue process, Mehbooba in her another tweet clearly stated, “Peace is the only way forward. Initiatives were started by Vajpayeeji with his Lahore bus journey & were later carried on in the same spirit by PM @narendramodi. Sadly they were sabotaged at Pathankot. We need to get on the right track if we want to save the people of J&K”.

Her bete noire and former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar said, “The best gift India and Pakistan gave to border areas, areas near LoC, is ceasefire but off late it has remained confined to paper. I hope both the Governments talk it out and follow the ceasefire. Innocent people have lost lives”.

Meanwhile, after the firing stopped a large number of local villagers converged at the residence of Mohd Ramzan in Dhar Galon Devta village, 75 kms from Poonch, to perform their last rites.

As the dead bodies of all the five members of the family were being lowered into their graves local villagers started shouting slogans against Pakistan and blamed them for their plight.

The local villagers were also angry with the slow pace of work on the construction of bunkers in the forward areas.

The Union Government had recently approved construction of 14,460 bunkers to ensure safety of local villagers living along the International Border and the LoC.

These include 1,431 large community bunkers and 13,029 individual bunkers in the districts of Samba, Jammu, Kathua, Poonch and Rajouri. The project is being implemented by the J&K Government.

Courtesy: The Pioneer, Monday, 19 March 2018 | Mohit Kandhari | Jammu