Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], May 10 (ANI): Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed grief over the demise of fallen soldier Subedar Major Pawan Kumar of 25 Punjab Regiment in a shelling by the Pakistan army in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday morning. He belonged to the Shahpur Nagar Panchayat of Kangra district.

In his condolence message, the Chief Minister said that Subedar Major Pawan Kumar has made his supreme sacrifice for upholding the unity and sovereignty of the country and will be remembered by the people forever.

He said that the State Government stands in solidarity with the affected family in this hour of grief and will also extend all possible assistance. He prayed to the Almighty to grant peace to the departed soul and strength to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.

Himachal Leder of opposition Jairam Thaur also saluted Subedar Major Pawan Kumar's supreme sacrifice, 'The brave Subedar Major Pawan Kumar Ji of Shahpur in Himachal Pradesh was martyred in the firing by Pakistan. My condolences are with the family. May God give a place in his feet to the soul of immortal martyr Subedar Major Shri Pawan Kumar ji and give strength to the family members to bear the unbearable grief. The entire country is proud of the sacrifice of Subedar Major Pawan Kumar ji. The father of immortal martyr late Pawan Kumar, Shri Garj Singh Ji has retired from the army, my heartfelt salute to such a brave father and sacrificial son.'

Pakistan Army on Saturday continued to target civilian areas in the Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir by conducting heavy shelling. Houses, water tanks, and other civil infrastructure suffered heavy damage in the attack.

Local residents told ANI that Pakistani strikes targeted places of worship as well.

'The entire house is damaged. The adjacent houses have also suffered damage...Pakistan is targeting civilian areas...They are deliberately targeting Poonch...Gurdwara, temples and mosques - they have not spared anything,' Balbir Singh, a local resident, told ANI.

Earlier in a serious breach of the ceasefire, Pakistan Rangers initiated unprovoked firing on Border Security Force (BSF) posts along the International Border in the Jammu sector late Friday night.

The incident began around 9 pm, prompting a swift and firm response from the BSF, India's border guarding force mandated to guard the 3,323 km India-Pakistan border.

In a statement, the BSF's Jammu division confirmed that Indian forces responded in a 'commensurate manner', causing significant damage to Pakistani posts and assets across the border.

'On 09 May 2025, from about 2100 hrs, Pakistan opened fire on BSF posts in the Jammu sector without any provocation. BSF is responding in commensurate manner causing widespread damage to posts and assets of Pakistan Rangers along the International Boundary. Our resolve to protect India's sovereignty is unshaken,' BSF said in a statement.

As per the officials, no casualties on the Indian side have been reported so far, while the tensions along the border have escalated following the exchange, with security forces maintaining high alert in the region.

In a major security operation along the India-Pakistan border on early Friday, the BSF had also thwarted a significant infiltration attempt in the Samba Sector of the Jammu frontier and neutralised seven terrorists.

According to the BSF, a large group of terrorists attempted to cross into Indian territory under the cover of fire provided by Pakistan Rangers from the Dhandhar post on early Friday. However, the attempt was promptly detected by the BSF's advanced surveillance grid.

'Acting swiftly, alert BSF troops engaged the infiltrators in a fierce exchange of fire. In the ensuing gunfight, at least seven terrorists were neutralised,' the BSF had said on Friday. (ANI)