On 7th May, officials reported that at least ten civilians, including a woman and two children, have been killed and 38 injured in Jammu and Kashmir due to indiscriminate cross-border firing by Pakistani forces. This reckless firing from Pakistan came after India launched missile strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. With the artillery pressed into action, a significant firefight broke out along the Line of Control and the international borders across Jammu and Kashmir. Officials informed that the civilians have died in Poonch and Mendhar.
Lt Colonel Suneel Baratwal, PRO (Defence), Northern Command informed, “During the night of 6-7 May, Pakistan Army resorted to arbitrary firing including Artillery shelling from posts across the Line of Control and IB opposite J&K.” Several sectors along the border experienced heavy bombardment. During the shelling, two members of the CRPF also sustained injuries but both are in stable condition now. Officials stated, “A shell landed at a bus stand, damaging a bus completely.”
According to local accounts, there was cross-border fire in Rajouri’s Laam, Manjakote and Gambeer Brahmana, as well as in Krishna Ghati, Shahpur and Mankote in the Poonch district. The Kashmir valley’s Uri and Tangdhar areas also reported heavy artillery bombardment. The Indian Army is retaliating proportionately to the shelling.
The indiscriminate firing started soon after India launched Operation Sindoor early on 7th May, targeting nine terrorist locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir. These “precision strikes” on terror infrastructure were carried out using missiles. The Pakistan Army also verified that six targets had been hit. These include the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke and the Jaish-e-Muhammad terror base in Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution,” the Indian Defence Ministry statement stated. The Border Security Force was placed on heightened alert, particularly along the western borders of India with Pakistan.
The escalation also impacted civilian life across the area. Citing security concerns, authorities have ordered the closure of schools and institutions in five border districts: Rajouri, Poonch, Kathua, Samba, and Jammu. Airport operations were halted in cities near the Indo-Pak border, including Jammu, Srinagar and Leh. Other airlines reported flight diversions and issued travel advisories, while Air India canceled flights to and from a number of northern places until at least mid-day on 7th May.
The recent hostilities are a result of the terror attack in Pahalgam where Pakistan backed terrorists killed 26 Hindu tourists in Baisaran Valley on 22nd April after confirming their religious identity.
