In Kashmir's Poonch district, three persons of a family, including a woman and her two children, succumbed to death in heavy overnight shelling by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC). Whereas one other person was heavily injured. The deceased have been identified as Rubana Kosar, 24, and her son Fazan, 5, and nine-month-old daughter Shabnam. The police said that Pakistani forces targeted civilian areas with heavy guns including the Howitzer 105 mm and mortar bombs to whch the Indian forces effectively retaliated.
Pakistani shells hit several houses in Salotri village near the LoC. Earlier on Friday, a woman was injured in cross-border firing in Mankote area of Poonch. Besides Mankote and Salotri, Pakistani forces also targeted villages in Krishnaghati and Balakote sectors. Sporadic firing has been going on since the last eight days said the Jammu and Kashmir police.
The district authorities have asked schools within 5 kilometre along the LoC, in Poonch and Rajouri, to close down temporarily and have also ordered villagers to stay indoors. On Thursday, officials had informed the a civilian was injured in Uri and on Friday as well four securitymen were killed in Rajouri.
According to the sources, in the last one week, there have been as many as 60 ceasefire violations in the forward areas of Poonch, Rajouri, Jammu and Baramulla districts. Senior army personnel - Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, White Knight Corps Commander, Lt Gen Paramjit Singh reviewed the situation in the forward posts of Rajouri sector. Ceasefire violations escalated manifold in last one year. 2018 witnessed 2,936 violations by Pakistani troops - the highest number in the last 15 years.