A day after the Indian armed forces launched targeted strikes on terror infrastructure across the border under ‘Operation Sindoor’, the Pakistani Army carried out heavy cross-border shelling, killing 13 people and injuring over 50 others in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Pakistani Army opened unprovoked fire late on the night of 7 May, using artillery guns and small arms across multiple sectors along the Line of Control (LoC). Indian forces responded in equal measure, military sources confirmed.
The worst affected area was Poonch district, where all 13 fatalities occurred. Officials said the dead included four children and a soldier. Forty-two others were injured, two of them critically, as shells rained down on civilian areas.
The barrage began shortly after India struck nine terror-linked targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in a coordinated military action earlier this week.
According to officials, the Pakistani shelling targeted forward villages in sectors including Balakote, Mendhar, Mankote, Krishna Ghati, Gulpur, Kerni, and even the Poonch district headquarters.
In a particularly tragic incident, three Sikh men were killed when artillery fire struck the Central Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Poonch town.
The blast also damaged adjoining homes. The deceased were identified as Bhai Amrik Singh Ji, a raagi Singh, Bhai Amarjeet Singh, and Bhai Ranjit Singh.
The incident drew condemnation from Sikh organisations and political leaders in Punjab. Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Strongly condemn the inhuman attack by Pakistani forces on the sacred Central Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Poonch, in which three innocent Gursikhs… lost their lives.”
Elsewhere, ten people, including five children, sustained injuries in the Uri sector of Baramulla district. In Rajouri, three others were wounded in the shelling. In the Karnah sector of Kupwara district, several houses reportedly caught fire due to incoming mortar shells.
The shelling created widespread panic in border villages. Hundreds of residents fled to underground bunkers or moved to safer locations as explosions damaged houses, vehicles, and public buildings across multiple districts.
The Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Jammu region and Baramulla and Kupwara in north Kashmir were among the hardest hit.
The scale and intensity of the shelling is the highest recorded since the ceasefire agreement was reaffirmed by India and Pakistan on 25 February 2021.
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