Jammu and Kashmir: Pak Continues to Fire; Over 10,000 Villagers Abandon Homes

A number of Border Security Force posts were targeted as Pakistani troops resorted to heavy overnight shelling in various sectors of the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Director General of BSF is scheduled to visit Jammu on Tuesday to take stock of the situation, reports NDTV.

On Monday, one BSF jawan was killed when Indian posts came under fire from Pakistan Rangers in the Samba and Hiranagar sectors.

Retaliatory fire by India has claimed the lives of five Pakistan Rangers. According to the BSF, a woman and a civilian have also been killed because of Pakistani fire from across the border.

Meanwhile, to avoid casualties, most of the border population in the Samba and Hiranagar sectors have been evacuated and moved to safer places. Authorities have also issued a notification for the postponement of the ongoing examinations for Class XI, and ordered the closure of all schools in the Hiranagar and Marheen region.

All educational institutions have been closed indefinitely by the Kathua District administration, which has also set up more camps to serve the people evacuated from villages close to the border.

According to the District Magistrate of Kathua, Pakistani shelling has also extended a considerable distance from the border, with shells exploding 3.5 km inside Indian territory, at places like Chakra, Sherpur and Londi.