After Operation Sindoor, 10 civilians killed in Pakistan shelling in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir

At least 10 civilians have been killed in shelling by the Pakistan Army across the Line of Control in the Jammu sector, ThePrint has learnt.

Over 40 people have been injured in incidents of shelling in the border Poonch district. All the victims of the shelling have been identified as residents of Poonch district, and administrative sources said they came under direct fire from the Pakistan Army shelling.

Officials in Poonch said the district administration rushed to the villages where shelling was reported and evacuated civilians to safer places. One person was killed instantly in the shelling while the other succumbed to his injuries at a Poonch hospital. Two minors aged 12 and 10 were also victims of the shelling.

The shelling by the Pakistan Army comes less than an hour after the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor. The operation targeted nine places in Pakistan, including Muridke in Punjab province, Bahawalpur and other areas in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Officials said they first received information about injuries and possible casualties around 2.30 am, and all possible measures were taken to prevent further injuries and deaths. “During the night of 06-07 May 2025, the Pakistan Army resorted to arbitrary firing, including artillery shelling from posts along the Line of Control and across the International Border facing Jammu and Kashmir,” an Army source said.

Additionally, sources said the Army responded in a “proportionate manner” to the unprovoked firing from Pakistan, with shelling reported in Krishna Ghati, Shahpur and Mankot in Poonch as well as Laam, Manjakote and Gambhir Brahman in Rajouri district. Sources in the defence and security establishment said a Pakistani artillery shell fell just outside the gate of the UN field station in Poonch, narrowly missing the facility.

“It appears there have been attempts to target civilian and even UN-linked sites, but the attacks are misdirected,” an official said. Media reports suggest that several buildings in Poonch were hit, with windows shattered and smoke billowing from several places, while residents reported they had to huddle in basements for over an hour as the shelling intensified.

Hundreds of people were seen fleeing the border area on foot, in cars and by any means available, while women, children and men walked in groups on both sides of the road.

Meanwhile, the official X account of Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha posted: “I have directed the DC to shift villagers from sensitive areas to safer places and ensure food, accommodation, food, medical and transport. We will ensure the safety of every citizen. Jai Hind!”

The Indian Army has said that the Pakistan Army has resorted to unprovoked firing of small arms across the Line of Control in areas around Kupwara, Baramulla, Poonch, Rajouri, Mendhar, Nowshera, Sunderbani and Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir in the last two weeks after the Pahalgam terror attack, in which at least 26 people were killed.

The Indian Army posted on Wednesday morning that Pakistan has again violated the ceasefire by firing artillery in Bhimber Gali in Poonch-Rajouri sector, adding that the Army is responding appropriately. The Defence Ministry said in its statement that the action taken early on Wednesday was carefully carried out.

It said, “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-aggressive in nature. No Pakistani military facility has been targeted. India has shown great restraint in the selection of targets and the manner of execution.”