Pakistan resorts to heavy shelling in border areas of J&K; eight civilians killed, 22 injured

Representational image

Srinagar: Eight people were killed and 22 injured when Pakistan troops bombarded Samba, Jammu, Poonch and Rajouri districts of Jammu and Kashmir with heavy mortar shells on Tuesday.

Two women were killed and 13 others injured during shelling with 82 and 120 mm mortar bombs in Rajouri, Jammu, Poonch districts.

Deputy Commissioner Samba, Sheetal Nanda said, "Five people died and nine others were injured in the shelling in Ramgarh sector of Samba district today."

"One persons died due to shock during shelling in the same area taking the total of those killed to six," she said.

Along the LOC, two women were killed in firing and shelling by Pakistani troops in Panjgrian border hamlet in Manjakote belt of Rajouri district, Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Shabir Ahmed Bhat said.

India accuses Pakistan of regularly violating the 2003 ceasefire agreement signed to maintain peace at borders and along the Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan blames India for provoking the border tension.

Ever since the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on the intervening night of September 28-29, Pakistan has been repeatedly violating the ceasefire along the International Border and LoC.

A total of 18 people, including 12 civilians, have been killed and more than 80 suffered injured in Pakistani shelling and firing along IB and LoC in Jammu since surgical strikes against terror launch pads by the Indian Army in PoK.

India shares 230 km of International Border and 740 km of LoC with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir. The boundary, manned by the paramilitary BSF runs through Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts, and the LoC, which is not an internationally-accepted frontier, cuts across other regions of the state.