"We thought a war had broken out between India and Pakistan in Chamb-Jorian, the place where the 1971 war broke out in Jammu sector," a top State Government official said.

Residents called newspaper offices and police control rooms inquiring if a war had broken out in Ranbir Singh Pura, Pallanwala or somewhere in Akhnoor.The sky over Jammu was suddenly lit with flares during the exercise which commenced at 2100 hours, official sources said and added that firing from light machine guns (LMG) and other weapons was also conducted.

"We carry such exercises in different sectors and there is nothing to worry about it," Chief of Military Operations, Northern Command Headquarters, Major General P S Bindratold PTI on phone from Udhampur.

"There was no intrusion bid by Pakistani planes or jets," he said, adding there was no air violation by any aircraft from Pakistan along the LoC in Akhnoor sector. No anti-aircraft guns were used along the border with Pakistan in Jammu sector, Maj Gen Bindra added.

Meanwhile, 260 more families have migrated from Pallanwala area of Akhnoor sub-sector following intense Pakistani mortar shelling and firing in the area on Saturday, the sources said.

People migrated from Gagriyal, Hamirpur, Sighra, Bhudwar, Garad, Pargwal, Samithan villages of Pallanwala to Narian area, they said, adding with this the number of migrant families had reached 1,151.

A sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), Mulk Raj Sharma, told PTI that the five-km belt along the LoC in Akhnoor sub-sector had been vacated due to intense shelling and firing in the last few days.

The migrants have been rehabilitated in government schools in Narian, Kaleeth, Chak Mallel and Salannuli areas and have been providedfree ration and other items by the State Government, he said.

"We will not return to our villages until the shelling stops. We were bearing their (Pakistan's) firing but shelling is dangerous," Kailash Nath of Gagrial village said at Narian migrant camp.

The 20-odd villages along the LoC in Pallanwala have been reduced to ghost hamlets with doors of bullet-riddled houses open and stray dogs on guard.Cattle tied to wooden poles went without water and food for the second day as residents of Baldoh, Hapriyal, Panjtoot Near the LoC have migrated to safer places.

There was an increase in the intensity of firing along the IB in Ranbir Singh Pura, Samba and Ramgarh sub-sectors of Jammu, the sources said, adding there was no casualty.

"Our movement is restricted due to the intermittent firing," 43-year-old Kuldeep Singh said while pointing to bullet marks on his house in Suchetgarh village of R S Pura. "Everyday they (Pakistan Rangers) fire over 500 lmg rounds on us," said Haveli Ram who lost two of his cowsin the firing and was himself injured last month.

The worst-affected villages of R S Pura are Suchetgarh, Karotona, Khurd, Sangral, Baqarpur Abdullain and Sai.

"We have asked the Government several times to shift us out of the range of the Pakistan firing but there is no response. Seven people have been killed in the last three years," another villager adds.