Baramulla, June 20 : At least three civilians got injured in intense shelling while several residential houses were damaged in an unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Hajipeer , Nambla and Rustum post sectors in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, police officials said.
They said that Pakistani army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing small arms, mortars and other weapons this afternoon. “A few mortar shells exploded near the residential houses injuring two civilians,” the officials said, adding the injured civilians were identified as Ahmed Shiekh (60, Parveena Begum, 40, and Maqbool Mangral (20). “The injured were immediately evacuated to nearby primary health centre for the first-aid where their condition is stated as stable,” the officials said.
Defence officials said that Indian army responded effectively to Pakistani action and a befitting response was being given. Officials said that there are reports pouring in that a few residential houses have also suffered damage. “Once the shelling would stop, teams will go to the spot to assess the damage,” they said.
The intense shelling between the two sides triggered panic in almost a dozen villages close to LoC in Uri as many residents were seen running for safety besides taking their livestock to the safer places as well.
Shakeel Ahmed, a resident of Uri told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) over phone that that people in his village woke up to intense shelling from across and when the same was responded by the army, it looked like a war like situation.
“We took our livestock to safety and asked the people of our village to stay indoors and take safety precautions. Since there are a very few underground bunkers, people assembled in one place and took refuge in them,” Ahmed said, adding that fear gripped children and women as none of them ventured out of their homes since morning while the livestock too was locked in cowsheds and other places.
This year, a record number of 1640 ceasefire violations have been recorded in J&K on LoC where in Pakistan has used small arms to mortal shells besides indiscriminate gunfire, as per security officials. “Every time Pakistan resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation, the army has given them a befitting reply by retaliating effectively,” a defence official said.
The KNO recently reported that many border residents in Kashmir are planning to move to safer places if the situation doesn’t improve in the coming days. Majority of people had complained that there was no progress on construction of community bunkers, which could also be a major reason for their migration from their native villages—(KNO)
