THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, May 8: Thirteen civilians were killed and over 50 injured—44 of them in Poonch district alone—due to intense ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC), the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reported on Thursday.
The External Publicity and Public Diplomacy Division of the MEA released the figures, attributing the escalation to Pakistan’s retaliation against India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ carried out on May 7.
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In ‘Operation Sindoor’, Indian armed forces targeted nine terror camps located in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), prompting a wave of retaliatory shelling from the Pakistani Army.
Since the night of April 25–26, Pakistan has engaged in repeated ceasefire violations, including unprovoked small arms and artillery fire, specifically targeting civilian areas.
The renewed shelling on Wednesday triggered widespread panic in border villages of Jammu and Kashmir, especially in Rajouri, where terrified residents were forced to flee their homes with families and livestock.
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Villagers who returned on Thursday recounted extensive damage to homes and infrastructure—broken windows, cracked walls, and destroyed property.
The Indian Army responded proportionately to the cross-border aggression on the nights of May 7 and 8, targeting Pakistani positions opposite sectors in Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri, and Akhnoor. Despite the tension, efforts are underway to restore normalcy in the affected regions.
