 Early Times Report
Jammu, May 7: In the aftermath of Pakistan’s unprovoked and inhuman shelling in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, authorities have evacuated hundreds of residents from villages along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) to safer locations as a precautionary measure.
Evacuations have been ordered across border areas from Kathua to the Chicken Neck region in the Akhnoor sector. All villages located within a 5-kilometre aerial radius of the IB have been advised to move to safer zones.
Earlier in the day, 12 civilians — including four children and two women — were killed and over 50 injured when the Pakistani Army launched intense shelling on forward villages in the Poonch, Rajouri, Baramulla, and Kupwara districts. The attack marked a significant escalation following India’s precision strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir under Operation Sandoor. These strikes were carried out in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, South Kashmir, which claimed 26 civilian lives, most of them tourists.
Pakistan's retaliatory shelling began soon after, targeting border villages with heavy artillery and mortar fire. In response, district administrations swiftly mobilized resources to relocate residents to temporary shelters, including government buildings and homes of relatives.
Raghuvir Singh, former Sarpanch of Changia Panchayat in the Arnia sector, told The Early Times that many residents had moved to government-established camps as a precaution, despite no shelling directly affecting their village. “The government has made arrangements at Government Higher Secondary School, Bishnah, where many have taken shelter,” he said.
For residents of the Arnia sector, five relief camps have been set up at GBHSS Bishnah, GHSS Rehal, GHSS Slehar, GGHSS Bishnah, and GHSS Deoli to accommodate nearly 10,000 people. Similar arrangements have been made in the Madreen and Hiranagar blocks of Kathua district.
In Poonch — one of the worst-affected districts — many families fled on their own as shelling continued through the night. Mohammad Rafiq, a resident of Mankote where a woman was killed and several others, including her young daughter, were injured, shared his ordeal: “We had a sleepless night, waiting for the firing to stop so I could move my family of six to a relative’s house.”
District administrations have ensured that provisions, particularly for women and children, are in place at all temporary shelters to support evacuees during this crisis.
Schools to remain closed
In view of the prevailing situation all schools, colleges and educational institutions (private as well as Government) in the districts of Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri, and Poonch will remain closed on Thursday also.
Divisional Commissioner Jammu posted on “X” in which in was informed that schools will remain closed. |
