Pakistani soldier, 6 civilians martyred as Indian troops resort to indiscriminate shelling from across LoC – Pakistan

At least six civilians and a Pakistani soldier were martyred while Indian troops resorted to "indiscriminate and ruthless" bombings from the other side of the control line (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), officials said Sunday.

Authorities said nine other civilians were injured, adding that this was the highest number of deaths in 2019 in a single day of Indian bombing from the other side of the dividing line.

Public relations between services (ISPR) notified through a cheep that one soldier had been martyred in the exchange of gunfire while two others were injured.

ISPR added that, in response to the ceasefire violations not caused by India in the Jura, Shahkot and Nauseri sectors, nine Indian soldiers were killed, while others were injured and two Indian bunkers were destroyed.

A later cheep by the Director General of ISPR said: "The Indian army will always receive an adequate response to the CFVs. The Pakistan army will protect innocent civilians throughout LOC [and] inflict an unbearable cost for the Indian army. Indian lies to justify their false claims [and] preparations for a false flag operation will continue to be exposed with the truth. "

"The Indian army struggles to collect the bodies and evacuate the wounded soldiers. The Indian army raises the white flag. This should be considered before initiating unprovoked CFVs and respecting military regulations avoiding attacking innocent civilians," DG ISPR added.

Earlier, AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider said that Indian forces in occupied Kashmir had "gone crazy."

In a post shared on Twitter, he added: "This is the height of savagery. The world must not remain silent on it."

The most affected areas were the Nauseri sector of the Muzaffarabad district and its adjacent Jura sector of the Neelum valley.

"The bombing began before midnight and was the heaviest [so far]"said the Deputy Commissioner of Muzaffarabad, Badar Munir.

"They [Indian troops] He used field artillery and mortars and attacked civilian populations, "he said.

Residents who posted videos on social media said the Indians had also fired tracer ammunition.

Tracer ammunition is cannon caliber projectiles that are built with a small pyrotechnic charge at its base. Lit by the burning dust, the pyrotechnic composition burns very intensely, making the trajectory of the projectile visible to the naked eye during the day and very bright during the night shot.

Munir said one of the shells went through a house in the town of Nosadda, leaving two relatives dead and many others injured. The deceased were identified as Haji Azam and his son Rafaqat and the injured were Rafaqat's mother, Roshan Jan, 55, and his daughter Kainat, 4.

In the same town, Haji Sarfraz, son of Ghulam Rabbani, was killed and Nargis, 45, wife of Irshad, was injured, said the deputy commissioner.

Elsewhere in the Nauseri sector, Liaquat Khan, 35, of Swabi, and Faisal, 30, of Taxila, died when a projectile fell near their store on a link road, he said. The duo worked as workers on the Panjkot road.

The DC said that Shabbir, 38, son of Yaqoob and his mother Begum Jan, 60, were injured in the Kanoor village of the Nauseri sector.

According to Munir, material losses in the area were still being determined.

In Neelum Valley, the Jura sector in the lower belt was the most affected area, said Akhtar Ayub, a disaster management official based in the headquarters of the Athmuqam district.

"It seemed that they [Indian troops] I wanted to destroy everything, "said Raza Awan, a Jura resident.

Faiz Talab, a police officer in Athmuqam, said Dawn that a resident of Loralai, identified as Zafar Khan, 45, was killed in the village of Jura and a woman and three girls were injured in the village of Islampura.

He identified them as Robina Bibi, wife of Abdul Ghafoor, Rashima Bibi, daughter of Abdul Ghafoor, Khizra Bibi, daughter of Abdul Qayyum and Zarqa Manzoor, daughter of Manzoor.

The injured were admitted to a military health center in the area, he said.

He added that 43 stores, 53 houses, six vehicles and three motorcycles had been damaged by Indian bombing.

The Indian provocation occurs when tensions remain high between India and Pakistan by the movement of the former to revoke the special autonomy of Kashmir occupied on August 5. On October 15, at least three civilians were killed and eight others were injured in AJK after Indian troops resorted to similar indiscriminate bombings. from all over the LoC, officials had said.

Indian call d & # 39; affairs summoned

Indigenous Affairs Officer Gaurav Ahluwalia was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Director General (SA & SAARC) Dr. Mohammad Faisal, who condemned "ceasefire violations not caused by Indian occupation forces throughout the LoC in the Jura, Shahkot and Nausehri sectors on October 18 ". and 20 ".

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing" by Indian troops, which included the use of heavy artillery, five innocent civilians from Village Nausadda and two non-resident civilian workers were killed, while six others suffered serious injuries.

The statement noted that civilian populated areas 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 has continued since 2017, when Indian forces committed more than 1,970 violations of the ceasefire," the Foreign Ministry statement said.

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

FO also categorically rejected the Indian media reports on "launch platforms" that India claims to point throughout the LoC.

In this regard, Pakistan has asked the P5 countries "to ask India to provide information on the alleged launching platforms and has expressed its willingness to organize a visit of the P5 diplomats to those places to expose the Indian falsehood."

The FO said the "heinous" attack on civilians is "a typical Indian attempt to divert international attention from the humanitarian nightmare in Jammu and Kashmir occupied by India."

According to the statement, Dr. Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the ceasefire agreement of 2003, investigate these and other incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit, and keep the peace in the LoC and the work limit.

He also stressed that UNMOGIP should be allowed to perform its mandatory function in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolutions.