Daijiworld Media Network- Srinagar
Srinagar, May 7: In a tragic escalation of tensions along the Line of Control (LoC), at least eight civilians, including a woman and two children, lost their lives and over 50 others were injured as the Pakistani Army resorted to heavy and indiscriminate shelling across several forward villages in Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Wednesday.
According to defence officials, the Pakistani Army launched unprovoked artillery and mortar shelling during the night of May 6–7 from positions across both the LoC and the International Border (IB), targeting civilian settlements and triggering widespread panic.
The intense shelling comes just hours after India announced the successful execution of ‘Operation Sindoor’, a series of precision strikes on nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), in retaliation for the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26.
The worst-hit area was Poonch district, where all eight deaths were reported. At least 40 others were injured in the region. In Rajouri and Baramulla, over ten civilians were wounded as heavy shelling continued well into the morning.
Residents in border villages including Tangdhar in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district and Uri in Baramulla described a night of fear and chaos. “We rushed to underground bunkers around 1 am when the shelling began. It hasn’t stopped since,” a local resident told Daijiworld over the phone.
Several houses were reportedly damaged in Tangdhar and Uri due to the relentless bombardment. Visuals from the ground showed shattered rooftops, debris-strewn lanes, and terrified families sheltering in makeshift bunkers.
Over the last 12 days, low-intensity firing had been reported sporadically across the LoC. However, Wednesday’s assault marked a sharp escalation — widely believed to be a retaliatory move by Pakistan following India’s strikes on terror hubs in PoK.
Confirming the strikes, a Defence Ministry statement said, “Nine terror-linked sites were precisely targeted as part of Operation Sindoor, to dismantle terrorist infrastructure that posed a direct threat to Indian lives.”
The Indian Army is said to be responding “in equal measure” to the ceasefire violations. Security forces have been placed on high alert across the LoC, while local authorities are coordinating relief and evacuation efforts for the injured.
As tensions continue to rise in the region, authorities are urging residents in border areas to remain indoors and take shelter in bunkers amid fears of further escalation.