3 AJK civilians dead, several injured in ‘indiscriminate’ firing by Indian troops – Pakistan

At least three civilians were killed and eight others were injured in Azad Jammu and Kashmir after Indian troops resorted to "indiscriminate" bombings from the other side of the Control Line (LoC) on Tuesday, authorities said.

All the victims occurred in different villages in the Neza Pir sector of the Haveli district, "where the bombing began at approximately 12:30 p.m. and lasted four and a half hours without pause," said Muhammad Zaheer, a management officer for Disasters in the office. from the deputy commissioner of Haveli.

“They used mortars and medium artillery, targeting civilian populations in the villages of Kairni, Rakh Chikhri, Chanjal Bala, Moohri and Mandhaar. The bombing was intense and indiscriminate, ”he added.

Khalid Mahmood Kiani, a police officer based at the Forward Kahuta district headquarters, said Dawn that the projectiles hit several houses.

At a house in the village of Kairni Mohri, the bombings killed three people and injured two others, he said.

The deceased were identified as Ghulam Muhammad, 54, their daughter Maryam Bibi, 12, and Haider Ali, 10.

Ghulam Muhammad's wife, Rehmat Jan, and another family member, Muhammad Manzoor, were injured, the official said.

In the same village, Naseeb Jan, 33, and his son Sarfraz, 4, were also injured.

Elsewhere, Amna, 22, and Safeena Bibi, 20, were injured in the village of Mandhaar and Naseeb Jan, 21, and Farri Bibi, 18, were injured in the village of Kairni Wasti.

All the injured were taken to a military health center in Forward Kahuta for treatment.

In the neighboring Poonch district, a high school for girls was attacked twice by the Indian army with small arms in the Tetrinote village of Tehsil Hajira, but there were no losses, a police officer said.

“They resorted to firing first at 10 in the morning and then again at 12 noon. However, shortly after the first attack, the school closed and the students and teachers were sent home, "the official added.

In a statement, AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider strongly condemned today's Indian bombings against civilian populations.

"I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and pay tribute to the people who live along the ceasefire line (LoC) for their exemplary courage and courage," he said.

The prime minister asked the civil administration in all areas throughout the LoC to remain on high alert "since the evil and cruel enemy could resort to any misfortune due to frustration."

The heavily militarized LoC that divides the disputed Kashmir region between India and Pakistan has been a constant witness to ceasefire violations by the Indian army in a serious violation of a truce agreement in November 2003.

According to Syed Shahid Mohyiddin Qadri, secretary of civil defense and state disaster management authority, the latest ceasefire violations have brought the number of civilian deaths in the current year to 47.

In addition to them, another 236 civilians suffered injuries in the current year, he said.

Qadri said about 50 houses had also been destroyed and 369 houses and nine stores partially damaged due to the Indian bombing.

In addition to the above, 11 cattle sheds, four schools, two health centers, a mosque and 12 vehicles also suffered partial damage.