15 civilians killed in Pakistan's heavy shelling along J&K LoC

Jammu/Srinagar, May 8 (IANS) Fifteen people, including a soldier, were killed and over 40 others injured in mortar shelling by the Pakistan Army on the Line of Control (LoC), which continued for the 14th consecutive day on Thursday.

A Ministry of Defence (MoD) statement said, “During the night of 07-08 May 2025, Pakistan Army posts resorted to unprovoked fire using Small Arms and Artillery Guns across the LoC in areas opposite Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri and Akhnoor areas in J&K.

“Indian Army responded proportionately,” the statement mentioned.

Army’s Nagrota headquartered White Knight Corps said on X, “GOC and all ranks of #WhiteKnightCorps salute the supreme sacrifice of L/Nk Dinesh Kumar of 5 Fd Regt, who laid down his life on 07 May 25 during Pakistan Army shelling. We also stand in solidarity with all victims of the targeted attacks on innocent civilians in #Poonch Sector.”

J&K administration has started shifting people from vulnerable areas along the LoC to safer places as tensions between the two countries reached a new high.

District hospitals in Poonch and Baramulla have received a large number of injured civilians, and special arrangements have been made at the government medical college hospital in Jammu to treat people needing specialised treatment.

All schools, colleges and other educational institutions have been closed in Jammu, Poonch, Rajouri, Samba, Kathua and Baramulla, Kupwara and Gurez.

The Air Force has taken over Srinagar airport, and all civilian flight operations have been suspended till May 10.

The Indian armed forces carried out missile strikes at nine terror sites in Pakistan on Wednesday.

The MoD statement said that these precision strikes were carried out at terror sites -- Shawai Nallah Camp, Muzaffarabad (PoK); Muridke (Pakistan); Sarjal camp, Sialkot (Pakistan); Markaz Ahle Hadith, Barnala (Bhimber, PoK); Markaz Abbas, Kotli (PoK); Mehmoona Joya camp, Sialkot (Pakistan); Markaz Subhan Allah, Bahawalpur (Pakistan); Syedna Bilal camp, Muzaffarabad (PoK); and Maskar Raheel Shahid Gulpur Camp, Kotli (PoK).

No military installation of Pakistan was targeted in Wednesday’s strikes by the Indian armed forces, as the strikes were non-escalatory and were carried out without crossing the LoC, India has said categorically..

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave operational freedom to the armed forces to avenge the killings of 26 civilians, including 25 tourists and a local, by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists sponsored and aided by Pakistan on April 22 in Baisaran meadow of Pahalgam.

The entire country was outraged by the cowardly act of terrorists. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said in his first reaction to Pahalgam killings that the terrorists, their handlers and backers would he chased and hunted down to the ends of the earth.

India announced a slew of measures against Pakistan, including the deportation of its nationals from Indian soil, closing of Attari-Wagah border crossing, throwing the Indus Water Treaty into abeyance, closing its airspace for Pakistani commercial flights and cancellation of all trade and cultural exchanges with Pakistan.

On Wednesday, India also closed the Kartarpur border crossing point on the international border in Punjab.

The decision to give operational freedom to the armed forces came after the PM had a series of meetings with the defence minister, national security advisor, chief of defence staff (CDS), and chiefs of the army, navy and the Air Force.

Meanwhile, to send a powerful message to terrorists, their overground workers (OGWs) and sympathisers, security forces have demolished the houses of ten terrorists. On April 25, two houses belonging to Adil Hussain Thokar and Asif Sheikh were demolished in the Tral and Bijbehara areas. Both these terrorists were part of the LeT terrorist group involved in the Pahalgam killings.

On April 28, the J&K Assembly unanimously condemned the dastardly terrorist attack and passed a resolution on this.

--IANS

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