Pakistani shelling jolts J&K: Five, including govt official killed

Pakistani artillery shelling killed five persons, including a Jammu and Kashmir government official in Rajouri, Poonch and Jammu districts early morning on May 10, officials said.

Several others were critically injured, as the military conflict between India and Pakistan sharply escalated.

After a night of bristling tension, India woke up to reports of sounds of explosions coming in from Srinagar in Kashmir Valley and several places in Punjab, and Pakistan claiming Indian missiles and drones had targeted three of its airbases.

Raj Kumar Thapa, Additional District Development Commissioner, Rajouri, and his two staff members were seriously injured when an artillery shell hit his official residence in Rajouri town, the officials said.

They were rushed to the Government Medical College where Thapa succumbed to his injuries, they said.

Condoling Thapa's death,Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X, "Devastating news from Rajouri. We have lost a dedicated officer of the J-K Administration Services. Just yesterday he was accompanying the Deputy CM around the district and attended the online meeting I chaired.

"Today the residence of the officer was hit by Pak shelling as they targeted Rajouri town killing our Additional District Development Commissioner Sh Raj Kumar Thappa. I’ve no words to express my shock & sadness at this terrible loss of life. May his soul rest in peace."

Two more persons -- two-year-old Aisha Noor and Mohd Shohib (35) -- were killed and three others were injured in Pakistani shelling near an industrial area in Rajouri town, the officials said.

According to the officials, a 55-year-old woman named Rashida Bi lost her life when a mortar shell hit her house at Kanghra-Galhutta village in Mendhar sector of Poonch district.

Ashok Kumar alias Shoki, a resident of Bidipur Jatta village, was killed in cross-border firing along the International Border in the R S Pura sector of Jammu district, they said.

Three more persons were also injured in intense shelling in Poonch and were evacuated to a hospital, they said.

Several persons were also injured in Jammu city when artillery shells and suspected drones hit residential areas, including Rehari and Rupnagar.

Pakistan military spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry told a hurriedly called press conference in Islamabad around 4 am that Nur Khan (Chaklala, Rawalpindi), Murid (Chakwal) and Rafiqui (Shorkot in Jhang district) airbases of Pakistan Air Force were targeted.