Two school children lost their lives during a shelling from Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC), the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed in a media briefing on Friday, May 9. A Pakistani shell landed at a house of the children, which killed them, the ministry confirmed.
Two pupils were killed on May 7 after a shell fired from Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) hit close to Christ School in Poonch district, Jammu & Kashmir. This unfortunate event occurred amid the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) informed the parents of the children’s injuries and verified the deaths.
The shell hit the two students’ residence, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a press briefing. He emphasized that in order to perhaps prevent more casualties, the school was closed at the time. During the bombardment, a number of employees and residents sought safety in the school’s basement hall.
“On May 7, early in the morning, a shell launched from Pakistan landed directly behind the Christ School in Poonch during intense firing across the Line of Control. During a briefing on Friday, May 7, Misri stated, “The shell struck the home of two students of the school, who regrettably lost their lives and their parents were injured.”
Misri called it “a new low even for Pakistan” and accused Pakistan of purposefully attacking civilian areas and places of worship, including as temples, churches, and gurdwaras. “During Pakistan’s shelling, a number of villagers and school employees sought safety in the school’s underground hall. Fortunately, the school was closed; else, there might have been additional losses. Gurdwaras, churches, and temples are among the sites of worship that Pakistan is targeting and bombarding with a specific design. Even for Pakistan, this is a new low,” he continued.
The MEA further verified that Pakistan attempted to target 36 places in India using 300–400 drones. “The Pakistani army attempted to target military posts on the western frontiers on the nights of May 8 and May 9. Drones were deployed by the Pakistani army to infiltrate from Leh to Sir Creek. To destroy the (Pakistani) drones, the Indian Armed Forces employed both kinetic and non-kinetic techniques. The purpose of these drones was intelligence collection. According to preliminary reports, these were Turkey’s SONGAR drones, which we are analyzing. In the briefing, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi stated, “A Pakistani UAV also attempted to attack the military station in Bhatinda, but the attempt was thwarted.”
Targeting people and places of worship has been denounced by the Indian government, which has urged Pakistan to stop and follow the ceasefire accord.