At least two houses suffered partially damaged and at least half a dozen cattle perished in heavy shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC) in forward villages of this sub division in Poonch district on Tuesday.
An official said Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked firing in several villages along the LOC including Basooni, Balakote forward and others areas falling in Balakote tehsil of the district, in the wee hours.
“Two houses suffered partial damage due to shelling. The number of the damaged houses could be on the higher side. We are struggling to ascertain the factual position as there is some problem of phone connectivity in the area and many people have to visit the government offices to inform about their losses.” The official said.
The official said around half a dozen cattle, mainly buffaloes have perished in the early morning shelling that created panic in several villages along the LoC.
The official said several cattle have also got injured in the shelling from across the LoC. “We are collecting the details,” the official said.
He said: “People were still asleep when the shelling started, leaving them in shock. They were not expecting this amid the present situation,” said the official.
A senior official in the district administration said more details will be available once field functionaries complete their visit to the areas affected by the shelling to assess the damage, a senior officer of Poonch administration said.
Meanwhile, Jammu-based defense PRO, Lt Col DevanderAnand said Pakistan army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation in Balakote on Tuesday morning and used small arms as well as mortars.
“Our army gave retaliated befittingly.” he said.