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