Valley border villagers flee to safer places amid artillery shelling by Pak

Pakistani troops resorted to unprovoked shelling along the Line of Control in Kupwara and Baramulla districts late on Thursday evening with the Indian armed forces retaliating effectively, officials said.

The Boniyar sector of Baramulla and the Tangdhar sector of Kupwara district were targeted by Pakistan but there were no reports of any casualty so far.

On the intervening night of May 7 and 8, the Pakistan Army fired small arms and artillery guns across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri and Akhnoor sectors in J-K. The Indian Army responded proportionately.

Residents of several border towns reported spending the Wednesday night in underground bunkers due to the shelling. “We had to take refuge inside the bunkers. The situation is very tense in our area,” said a resident of Teetwal village in north Kashmir. He noted that the shelling continued into Thursday morning.

More than a dozen civilians have been injured, and over 50 houses and government buildings have been damaged in the Pakistani shelling in north Kashmir’s border districts. The artillery attacks came a day after India launched precision strikes under Operation Sindoor in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), targeting terror launchpads.

Sources said thousands of residents have fled to safer locations following the sharp escalation along the border. Imran Ahmad, a resident of Kamal Kote village in Uri who fled with his family, said, “The situation is very worrying in the border areas. People are scared.”

An official confirmed that authorities have relocated residents from vulnerable areas to safer zones. “We are monitoring the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, educational institutions in Baramulla and Kupwara districts, as well as those near Srinagar and Awantipora airfields, will remain closed on Friday and Saturday as a precaution.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired a virtual meeting for the second consecutive day on Thursday with Deputy Commissioners of all border districts to assess the situation. He directed officials to ensure the availability of essential services, including food, sanitation, water, and power supply at relief camps