SIALKOT: A relief centre set up at the Raja Jarpal Basic Health Unit (BHU) along the border area lacks facilities and items to cater to hundreds of the people displaced from their homes because of unprovoked firing by the India Border Security Forces (BSF).

Hundreds of people face shortage of food, water, medicines and other items there, Dawn has learnt.

Several people told Dawn Indian shelling had made them internally displaced persons (IDPs). Though the government and the public had taken good care of IDPs of Waziristan but left them at the mercy of prevailing circumstances.

The month-long exchange of firing and mortar shelling between the Pakistani Rangers and the Indian BSF has forced the villagers to leave their houses and farms to avoid causalities. They have been living in the open or in rented places in different towns.

Sakeena Bibi, 48, said her house was badly punctured by mortar fires in Khadraal village along the Sialkot Working Boundary a few days ago. She said now she had nowhere to live.

The villages under India fire are: Sucheetgarh, Charwah, Beeni, Sulehriyaan, Akhnoor, Behladpur, Wainse, Gunjiyaal, Gandiyal, Dhamala, Wada Dhamala, Harpal, Bajra Garhi, Morchapur, Anula, Dhaliyaan, Kotli Khawaja, Ludha Gung, Chumat, Siyal, Jhund, Jarwal, Theekariyal, Sojan, Sakroori and Shahpur in Bajwat sector, and Sucheetgarh, Charwah, Umeraanwali, Chaprar and Bajra Garhi sectors.

In a rare two-day silence, people started arriving in their villages three days ago but shelling erupted once again on Wednesday night.

District Coordination Officer Nadeem Sarwar said they had established a relief centre for the Indian shelling affected people at the Raja Harpal BHU.

He said according to the preliminary assessment report, 60 houses were damaged and 45 cattle killed in these villages in the shelling.

The DCO said the government was fully aware of the problems of the shelling victims and maximum relief would be provided to them.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2014