At least 15 civilians, including children, were killed and 43 others injured in heavy cross-border shelling by the Pakistan Army in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. The escalation came hours after Indian forces launched precision strikes on nine terror bases in Pakistan and PoK under “Operation Sindoor,” following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam which left 26 civilians dead.
Officials said Pakistan Army began “arbitrary firing, including artillery shelling,” shortly after midnight on May 6–7 from positions along the Line of Control and the International Border.
“The Indian Army is responding in a proportionate manner,” a defence spokesperson said. In retaliation, Indian forces destroyed several Pakistani posts and inflicted multiple casualties.
Poonch bore the brunt of the shelling. All reported deaths came from this district, while 30 out of the 43 injuries were recorded here. Many of the injured are in critical condition.
Among those killed were Balvinder Kour alias “Ruby” (33), Mohd Zain Khan (10), Zoya Khan (12), Mohd Akram (40), Amrik Singh (55), Mohd Iqbal (45), Ranjeet Singh (48), Shakeela Bi (40), Amarjeet Singh (47), Maryam Khatoon (7), Vihaan Bhargav (13), Mohd Rafi (40), and three others yet to be formally identified by the authorities.
The shelling damaged homes, vehicles, and public infrastructure across Balakote, Mendhar, Mankote, Krishna Ghati, Gulpur, Kerni, and parts of the Poonch district headquarters. Mortar shells hit the bus stand in Mendhar.
Additional injuries were reported in Kupwara and Baramulla districts (10, including five children) and Rajouri (three civilians). Houses caught fire in Karnah sector due to the intensity of shelling.
Panic among border villages
“Suddenly, firing from across the border happened. It was a terrible night for the people here,” said Abdul Husain, a resident of a border village, told ANI. He pointed to unfinished bunkers. “Thirty per cent of the bunkers promised by the government are fully constructed, the rest are not.”
“Pakistan again violates the Ceasefire Agreement by firing artillery in Bhimber Gali in Poonch-Rajauri area. Indian Army is responding appropriately in a calibrated manner,” the Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADGPI) posted on X.
This was the 13th straight night of ceasefire violations since April 24, the day India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty after the Pahalgam attack.
In response, Divisional Commissioner of Jammu, Ramesh Kumar, announced: “In view of the prevailing situation, all schools, colleges and educational institutions in Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch will remain closed today.”
Kashmir University postponed all examinations scheduled for the day.
Shelling was reported from Mankote, Krishna Ghati, and Shahpur in Poonch, Laam and Manjakote in Rajouri, and Karnah and Uri sectors in north Kashmir. An explosion also occurred in Panthiyal, Ramban district, though its cause remains unknown.
Ceasefire violations along the LoC and IB had been rare since India and Pakistan reaffirmed their 2003 ceasefire agreement on February 25, 2021. That calm appears to have collapsed.
Initially confined to north Kashmir’s Kupwara and Baramulla districts, the shelling has now spread across the LoC—from Poonch to Akhnoor, Sunderbani, Naushera, and Pargwal sector in Jammu.
With violence widening, fears of a broader confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbours are growing.
Indian security forces are on high alert, and exchanges of fire were continuing between both the armies.
