Srinagar: More than ten thousand people living in villages along the International Border (IB) with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir’s twin districts of Samba and Kathua have fled their homes to escape artillery firing from across the highly militarized border.
Meanwhile, director general of Border Security Force (BSF), D.K. Pathak on Tuesday visited Jammu frontier for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and also some of the affected villages. Mr. Pathak said, “It’s not a happy situation. We want normalcy to be restored as soon as possible but what can be done? How can we keep them (Pakistani Rangers) silent? We will respond when we are fired at.”
Police and local administration officials, however, termed the situation as “highly volatile” and said that this could be gauged from the fact that Pakistan’s Punjab Rangers targeted over 60 villages and scores of BSF Border Outposts along the IB with heavy small and medium arms and mortar fire overnight.
Many mortar bombs landed deep inside Indian territory, damaging private properties including residential houses with no casualties reported.
