"Pakistan has no sense...civilians killed, huge damage in cross-border shelling ": Poonch District Gurudwara Committee Chief

India Gazette

07-05-2025

Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 7 (ANI): Pakistan Army's shelling has caused huge damage in civilian areas of Poonch, leading to the death of nearly 12 people in the district and a shell hit a corner of Shri Guru Singh Sabha Gurudwara, President of District Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee Narinder Singh said on Wednesday.
He said one shell hit Geeta Bhawan and one shell hit a mosque also, killing a teacher in the mosque.
'Our neighbour has no sense at all, has made a huge attack on civilians. Civilians have suffered huge damage,' Narinder Singh said in a self-made video.
He urged the Jammu and Kashmir government and the Centre to make efforts so that situation improves.
Narinder Singh said locals were in panic and many had left their residences.
'Nearly 12 people have died in Poonch district due to cross-border shelling... In Poonch proper five people of the Sikh community and rest from the Muslim community have died. A shell hit one corner of our Gurudwara Shri Guru Singh Sabha, because of which one door and a few glasses were shattered... Reports are being circulated that shelling has caused heavy losses to the Gurudwara, which are not correct. Since it is a congested area, one shell has hit Geeta Bhawan and one shell hit a mosque also, killing one teacher in the mosque,' Narinder Singh said.
Earlier, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal strongly condemned the inhuman attack by Pakistani forces on the sacred Central Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha Sahib in Poonch.
Condemning the inhuman attack, Badal stated that three Sikhs have lost their lives.
As per Badal's office, the deceased have been identified as Amrik Singh Ji (a raagi Singh), Bhai Amarjeet Singh and Ranjit Singh.
The SAD leader expressed solidarity with the bereaved families and demanded adequate compensation to support them in their time of grief.
'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, including Bhai Amrik Singh Ji (a raagi Singh), Bhai Amarjeet Singh and Bhai Ranjit Singh lost their lives. The Shiromani Akali Dal expresses complete solidarity with the families of the deceased Gursikhs and prays for peace for the departed and courage for their friends and loved ones,' he said in a post on X.
'We demand that the martyrs be honored for their sacrifice and that the bereaved families receive adequate compensation to support them in their time of grief. The Sikhs have always been, and will continue to be, the sword arm of the country. We stand like a rock with our armed forces. Although the Shiromani Akali Dal and our country stand for peace, if our honor is challenged by the enemy, we need no reminder to fulfill our patriotic duties,' Badal added.
After Operation Sindoor, the Pakistan Army continued its series of ceasefire violations by targeting civilian areas in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday. Officials said the shelling caused panic among villagers and damaged several houses.
Visuals showed damaged civilian infrastructure, shattered window panes, cracked walls, and debris scattered across the lanes of the village.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah held an emergency meeting with officials over the current situation in border areas.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday that the Indian Armed Forces displayed their valour and bravery in Operation Sindoor, scripting a new history, and took action against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and POJK with 'precision, alertness and sensitivity'.
Speaking at an event for the inauguration of 50 Border Roads Organisation infrastructure projects across six states and two UTs, Rajnath Singh said that the armed forces showed sensitivity in ensuring that the civilian population is not affected during their action.
He also expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his full support to the armed forces.
India's precision strikes on terrorist infrastructure came in response to the Pahalgam terror attack in which 26 people were killed.
'You know that today, under the guidance of PM Narendra Modi, our Indian armed forces have made us all proud... Last night, our Indian armed forces displayed their valour and bravery, and scripted a new history. Indian armed forces took action with precision, alertness and sensitiveness. The targets we decided where accurately demolished with precision.. Our armed forces also showed sensitivity in ensuring that the civilian population is not affected at all,' Rajnath Singh said. 'In a way, we can say that Indian jawans showed precision, alertness and humanity. On behalf of the entire country, I congratulate the jawans and officers,' he added.
At a joint briefing on Operation Sindoor in which nine terrorist camps were targeted with precision strikes, Foreign Secretay Vikram Misri said the terror attack in Pahalgam was marked with extreme barbarity, with the victims mostly killed with head shots at close range and in front of their family.
'The family members were deliberately traumatised through the manner of killing, accompanied by the exhortation that they should take back the message. The attack was clearly driven by the objective of undermining normalcy returning to Kashmir,' he said.
Misri said that Indian intelligence agencies had been monitoring terrorist activities and raised concerns regarding more terrorist attacks in India.
'Our intelligence indicated that further attacks against India are impending. Thus, compulsion, both to deter and prevent and hence earlier this morning, India exercised its right to respond to deter such more cross-border terrorism... Our actions were measured and non-escalatory, proportionate and responsible. They focused on dismantling terrorists' infrastructure,' he said.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh informed that a total of nine terror sites were targeted and successfully destroyed. She asserted that the locations were selected so that there was no damage to civilians and their infrastructures.
'Operation Sindoor was launched by the Indian Armed Forces to deliver justice to the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and their families. Nine terrorist camps were targeted and successfully destroyed... The locations were so selected to avoid damage to civilian infrastructures and loss of any civilian lives, she said.
Col Sofiya Qureshi showed some videos of the strikes destroying terror camps.
The Indian Armed Forces launched 'Operation Sindoor' early Wednesday.
Twenty-six people were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack. The government had said that the perpetrators will face severe punishment. (ANI)