9 civilians injured as Pak pounds Rajouri, Poonch

Shyam Sood

Rajouri, October 18

After a lull of three days, the Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked heavy mortar shelling and automatic weapon firing on Indian forward posts and civil areas in the Balakot and Manjakot sectors in Poonch and Rajouri districts about 7 am today.

Five persons, including two labourers from Madhya Pradesh, were injured in the Balakot sector while three persons, including a minor girl, were injured in the Manjakot sector.

All were admitted in hospitals and were later discharged after treatment except Ayaz Ahmed, a resident of Darati (Balakot), who received critical splinter injuries in the chest and left leg and is under treatment at the district hospital in Rajouri.

The other injured have been identified as Tariq Mehmood of Darati, Urmeela Devi and Kusum, both residents of Chattarpur in Madhya Pradesh, and Bishu of Panchari (Udhampur). 

Urmeela, Kusum and Bishu are engaged as labourers in  Balakot.

Those injured in the Manjakot sector have been identified as Liakat Hussain and his 2-year-old daughter Insha from Khorinar and Mohammed Zafar of Mangalnar. All three were also discharged from a primary health centre after treatment.

“The firing and shelling continued intermittently till 3 pm. The Pakistan army’s unprovoked and indiscriminate firing and mortar shelling has been retaliated strongly and effectively by the Indian army,” said the defence PRO.

Pakistan has violated the truce pact a number of times this month, resulting in casualties. On October 2, two minors were killed and two soldiers along with 12 civilians were injured in shelling in the Poonch sector. A day later, Sepoy Mahendra Chenjung attained martyrdom in the BG sector while on October 4, three soldiers were injured in the Balakot sector in heavy mortar shelling.

Sepoy TK Reddy of Maratha Light Infantry and a porter were killed while 5 soldiers and one porter were injured in border shelling on October 12. Two days later, three residents of Kahnetter were injured critically when a mortar fired by Pakistan fell near their house.