DACCA: Thirty-four innocent villagers, mostly women and children, were killed and 59 injured by unprovoked Indian artillery shelling of 23 border villages in different areas today [Oct 17] and yesterday. The Indians lobbed over 3,000 artillery and mortar shells into these villages, which are located in Sylhet, Comilla, Mymensingh, Jessore and Rangpur districts. Salandhi in Comilla district alone was hit by 1,000 shells.
Approximately 400 Indian agents attempted to infiltrate into Pakistan near Sangarana, a border village south of Sylhet, under cover of the Indian shelling, but their attempt was defeated by Pakistan troops. … Two days earlier, two Indian aircraft had strafed the border village of Mughalhat…. On Friday [Oct 15] an IAF jet fighter flew over Ranisankail, south-west of Thakurgaon. As soon as Pakistan troops opened fire, the intruding aircraft hurried back into Indian territory. Two boats carrying armed Indian agents were sunk on Saturday while trying to infiltrate through a stream into East Pakistan along the Northern border. Approximately 30 infiltrators were killed.
[Meanwhile, as reported by news agencies from Rawalpindi,] Mr. Z.A. Bhutto … has expressed satisfaction with President Yahya Khan’s plan for transfer of power, saying it reflected the public sentiment on the restoration of democracy… .
Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2021
