Daily Times

Unprovoked firing and shelling by India at the Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday resulted in martyrdom of two Pakistani civilians and injuries to 19 others, including six women and a police constable, reports said.

The Indian Army targeted civilian areas in Dana, Dhodial, Lipa, Jora, Shahdara, and Shahkot sectors on purpose, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, noting that India used mortars and artillery guns in the firing and shelling. Pakistan Army, however, responded effectively to the Indian Army’s firing, targeting Indian posts from where the firing was initiated. Pakistan killed three Indian Army soldiers and wounded multiple others. Many Indian posts were hit by Pakistan Army as well, the military’s media wing added.

Disaster Management Officer Akhtar Ayub, who is based in district headquarters Athmuqam, said that Nauman, 25, son of Matiullah, and Bisma Bibi, 17, daughter of Ghulam Murtaza, were killed in Sharda and Katha Chogalli villages in the upper and lower belts of Neelum valley respectively.

Three Indian soldiers killed in a befitting response by Pakistan Army

The shelling first began in Leepa valley, located some 100 kilometres southeast of in Jhelum valley district, at about 12 noon, with Indian troops targeting Batlian and Bijildhaar villages. Later they expanded the range to the entire valley, targeting the civilian population with mortar guns and rocket launchers, said Waleed Anwar, assistant commissioner of the area. “In fact it was carpet bombing of the civilian populated areas,” he said, adding that Pakistani troops responded ‘befittingly’.

Tuesday’s indiscriminate shelling has pushed the civilian death toll in the current year to 24, including 14 men and 10 women, while another 133 civilians, including 78 males and 55 females, have sustained injuries.

Punjgran Station House Officer (SHO) Syed Wajahat Kazmi said it was the heaviest shelling in this area in almost a decade. “For 40 minutes, bombs rained down without pause, causing a scare among the villagers as no one knew where the next shell will strike” he said, adding that according to the preliminary reports received, several houses were completely or partially damaged by the shelling.

Official describes shelling in the area as ‘heaviest in almost a decade’

A day earlier, officials had reported that a woman lost her life and another five women and two men were wounded in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in unrelenting and unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian troops from across the LoC. The casualties occurred in Khurshidabad and Neza … pir sectors of Haveli district on Sunday evening, but the information was officially shared with the media on Monday.

Saeed Qureshi, a senior director at State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), after Monday’s reported incident had said that the civilian death toll in the current year has increased to 22, including 13 men and nine women. Of them, he had said, nine have been killed in the Kotli district, six in Haveli district, three in Bhimber district, two in Jhelum Valley district and one each in Neelum Valley and Poonch districts. About 11 army personnel had also been martyred along the LoC in the ongoing year, according to Qureshi.