Woman among two martyred in Indian firing on LoC

HELD SRINAGAR: A woman was among two civilians martyred and 13 others injured as India continued ceasefire violations on the Line of Control (LoC) at two different sectors in Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. Also, one Indian soldier was killed and two Hurriyet militants martyred in fresh battle in the Indian-Held Kashmir (IHK) on Tuesday.

The Indian forces resorted to unprovoked firing in Samhani Sector of Bhimber district and the Nakyal Sector of Kotli district. Deputy Commissioner Chaudhry Guftar Hussain said that the shelling in the Samhani Sector started at about 1 pm with Indian troops targeting the civilian population with both small and big weapons in almost all villages along the dividing line. He said that two civilians had so far lost their lives while another seven were injured.

The deceased were identified as Arsalan, 9, and Yasira Bibi, 42, of Tandar and Gorah villages respectively, while the injured included Arsalan’s father Munsif Dad of Tandar Iqra Shamrez, 15, and Aiza Azam, 12, of Chahi village, Ghulam Hussain, 60, and his son Adnan 16 of Gahi Baroh village, Mohammad Ibrahim, 75, of Sona village, Mohammad Riaz, 50, of Ghotan Tandar, Atif Razak, 35, of Danna Kathyala and Waqar 28 (a resident of Narowal who used to work with Atif Razak). The bodies and injured were shifted to different health facilities.

Shelling in the Nakyal Sector of Kotli district started in the small hours of Tuesday, leaving six people injured. The injured included Mohammad Bashir, 70, and his 27-year-old son Imran Bashir of Mohra village and Mohammad Khan 70 and his 67-year old spouse Jan Begum of Naar Malikan village.

Mohammad Khan was rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital Kotli while the other three were being treated at the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Nakyal, the official said. State-run schools were already closed due to summer vacations and the administration in Nakyal had asked all private schools in the most vulnerable areas to remain shut. – INP

AFP adds: An Indian Army spokesman said that two suspected Hurriyet activists and an Indian soldier were killed Tuesday in the IHK along the border with Pakistan, where the two sides traded fire for a second day.

Army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia alleged that Indian soldiers exchanged fire with unknown combatants as they tried to cross the LoC into the IHK. "Two bodies and three weapons were recovered from the site of the firing," Kalia added.