With Pakistan Rangers pounding Allah village and nearby areas, located along the International Border, for the past few days, border residents have sent women and children to either houses of their relatives or relief camps at Salehar and Deoli in the Bishnah area.
Allah village is situated around 2 km from the International Border. One of the oldest villages in the area, it has a population of 1,500. Around 50 per cent of the residents daily move to safer places as the dusk falls due to the fear of shelling.
On Sunday night when shelling erupted, 64 villagers shifted to relief camps. They came back to their homes after the shelling stopped at 5.30 am today.
“We are in deep fear as one doesn’t know on whose house a shell will land. We are not able to even move out of our homes for work and even inside we are not safe,” said Thoru Ram, a retired BSF inspector, whose son was killed when a mortar landed on his tractor in 2014.
“After my retirement from the BSF, I used to consider myself happiest person in the village. But within six months everything changed as my son died in the shelling. Now I consider myself the saddest person in the village,” he said. Now, Thoru Ram has sent children and women in his family to homes of relatives in other areas.
“Like other people of the village who send their children and women to the areas out of the range of Pakistani shells, I also followed the same practice. But this is no solution as our life has become uncertain and we are not able to concentrate on earning livelihood,” he added.
In the recent shelling, two persons, including a BSF constable, have lost their lives while six persons have received injuries.
Arnia targeted once more
The Pakistan Rangers resorted to heavy shelling on Monday across the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir for the fourth consecutive day, the police said
“They used 81-mm mortars, automatics and small weapons to target the Indian positions in Arnia sub-sector,” the police said
“Heavy firing exchanges which started late Sunday continued till 5 am today (Monday). The Border Security Force (BSF) effectively retaliated,” police sources said
Ten BSF border outposts and 10 villages in Arnia have been targeted for the past four days
Pak shelling sparks migration along LOC
