SRINAGAR: Rival armies have resumed shell;ing on each other’s positions early Sunday morning, media and defence reports suggest. There has not been any human loss but damage to some property is reported.
Defence sources said the Pakistani army fired mortars on a vast Rajouri belt from Peer Badesar near Nowshehra to Tarkundi in Balakote. Using automatic fire arms, defence sources said 82 mm and 120 mm mortars landed at a few outposts in Balakote sector. Deafening sounds are being heard in the entire Chingus belt.
The resumption of shelling came within less than 20 hours of J&K losing two civilians in Nowshehra sector. They were a father and daughter who were killed in their house at Jhanghar belt. Seven others including four soldiers were also injured and are admitted in various hospitals. Preliminary estimations suggest nearly 300 houses were damaged, partially or fully, in the shelling as a good number of cattle heads perished.
Authorities shut as many as 87 schools in the entire border belt comprising Nowshera, Qila Darhal and Manjakote areas and shifted out nearly 1100 civilian population to the hinterland where relief camps were instantly set up.
Top officials in the district said seven villages are impacted by Sunday shelling and various buildings are hit. They said the administration has moved 259 families out of danger zone that comprises 978 heads. The “migrants” mainly belong to Kalsia, Bhawani, Baba Khowari and Kalsian.
Earlier on Thursday, a 35-year-old woman was killed and her husband was left injured in mortar shelling by Pakistani troops in the Nowshera sector of the state.
