India pounds AJK villages, loses nine troops in reprisal – Pakistan

MUZAFFARABAD: Six civilians and a soldier from the Pakistan Army embraced the martyrdom, while two soldiers and at least nine civilians were injured in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) after Indian troops resorted to "indiscriminate and ruthless" shelling through of the Control Line (LoC)) past midnight "without any provocation," civil and military officials said Sunday.

In an appropriate response, the Pakistan Army effectively attacked Indian positions across the dividing line, destroying two Indian bunkers, killing nine Indian soldiers and wounding several other troops, according to Major General Asif Ghafoor, general director of Relations Public Services Inter (ISPR), The media affairs wing of the Pakistan Army.

The head of ISPR identified the martyr soldier as Lance Naik Zahid.

Civil and military officials said the Nauseri sector, in the Muzaffarabad district, and its adjacent sectors of Jura and Shahkot, in the Neelum Valley, were attacked by Indian troops without pause from midnight onwards, using artillery from field, mortars and tracer ammunition to blatantly attack civilians.

Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the shooting not caused by the Indian occupation forces. He prayed for the eternal peace of the martyrs and the speedy recovery of the wounded, said a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.

Khan also welcomed the value of the Pakistan Army for giving an adequate response to the Indian forces.

Six civilians and a soldier embrace martyrdom; The Prime Minister condemns the unprovoked shots

Giving details of the casualties, Deputy Commissioner Badar Munir said Dawn that three people lost their lives and two were injured after a projectile hit their house in the Nosadda village of the Nauseri sector. He identified the deceased as Haji Azam, 60, his son Mohammad Rafaqat, 28, and Haji Sarfraz, 47, son of Ghulam Rabbani. In another part of the Nauseri sector, two workers, Liaquat Ali, 35, of Mardan and Yasir, 30, of Attock, died when a projectile hit a link road where they were working, he said. In the town of Kanoor of the Nauseri sector, two women and one man were injured, he added.

In the Neelum Valley, a merchant, Zafar Khan, 45, was killed, said Akhtar Ayub, a disaster management officer based at the headquarters of the Athmuqam district. He added that four women were injured in the village of Jura.

According to him, the Indian bombings destroyed 39 houses and 28 stores and partially damaged 93 houses and 60 stores. In addition, 16 vehicles, including four motorcycles, were also damaged, he said.

Indian claims rejected

Pakistan rejected India's claim that they had "crushed four terrorist launching platforms" in the Neelum Valley in the artillery fire of the Indian army as a "bundle of lies."

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected reports from the Indian media about attacking "launch platforms" throughout the LoC. By asking the P5 countries "to ask India to provide information on the alleged launching platforms," ​​the FO expressed its willingness to organize a visit of the P5 diplomats to those places to expose the Indian falsehood. "The heinous attacks against civilians are a typical attempt by India to divert international attention from the humanitarian nightmare in Jammu and Kashmir occupied by India," the FO added.

In response to a similar complaint from the head of the Indian army, DG ISPR tweeted: "The statement of Indian COAS" that affirms the destruction of 3 alleged camps in AJK is disappointing as it has a very responsible appointment. There are no fields, much less aimed at them. The Indian Embassy in Pakistan can take any foreign diplomat / media to "prove it" on the ground. The propensity for false claims of the Indian military high command, especially since the Pulwama incident, is detrimental to peace in the region. These false claims of the Indian army are being made to satisfy the acquired national interests. This goes against professional military ethics. "

DG ISPR said the Indian army was struggling to collect bodies and evacuate its wounded soldiers. "Indian Army [is] raising white flags. This, they should think before initiating unprovoked ceasefire violations and respect military norms avoiding attacking innocent civilians. The Indian army will always receive an adequate response to the ceasefire violations. Pakistan's army will protect innocent civilians throughout LoC and inflict an unbearable cost to the Indian army. Indian lies to justify their false claims and preparations for a false flag operation will continue to be exposed with all the truth, ”he said.

The AJK prime minister in a similar tweet said: "The Indian claim that it has destroyed any training camp in Azad Kashmir in night bombings is as junk as its claim about [the] Balakot attack. We have repeatedly offered [that] AJK is open to all, unlike IOK, which has always been a prohibited area for foreign media and observers. "

Haider also posted photos of the victims of the Indian bombing, as well as the shops destroyed along the main road in Jura, and asked the head of the Indian army to behave as a soldier and not as a Bollywood movie writer . "Whenever the wild Indian troops attack and kill the non-combatant civilian population throughout the LoC, they lie between their teeth to justify a serious violation of all international laws, conventions and military norms," ​​said AJK Prime Minister.

Indian call d & # 39; matters summoned

Meanwhile, in Islamabad, the Director of Indian Affairs, Gaurav Ahluwalia, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Director General (SA & SAARC), Dr. Mohammad Faisal, who condemned the "unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces "throughout the LoC in the Jura, Shahkot and Nauseri sectors. .

Areas populated by civilians along the LoC and the work limit have been constantly attacked by Indian forces with artillery fire, large caliber mortars and automatic weapons. This escalation in violations of the ceasefire by India had been occurring since 2017 when Indian forces had committed more than 1,970 violations of the ceasefire, the FO statement said.

"The deliberate targeting of areas populated by civilians is truly deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws," he added.

Dr. Faisal also stressed that the UN Military Observer Group should be allowed to play its mandatory role, as the secretary of civil defense and disaster management said the latest casualties increased the number of civilian deaths of this year in AJK at 53 and the number of injured at 246.

Posted on Dawn, October 21, 2019