Sialkot Working Boundary: Two women martyred, 23 civilians injured in Indian firing

SIALKOT: Two women were martyred on Sunday and 23 other civilians, including men, women and children in different border villages, were wounded in unprovoked and intensified firing and shelling by the Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) at the Sialkot Working Boundary.

The BSF started unprovoked and heavy shelling and firing in Bajwat sector of Sialkot Working Boundary at 3am, which continued throughout the day with short intervals of calm. As a result, an elderly woman, Fazlan Babi, wife of Rehmat Ali (70) in Kichhi Mand village, and another woman, Nargis Fatima, daughter of Shahid Iqbal, in village Pul Bajwa, sustained fatal injuries as mortar shells hit their houses. Both the injured women embraced martyrdom at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Sialkot Cantt.

The injured persons include: Safia Bibi w/o Amant (45), Awais s/o Rafique (8), Sufian s/o Akbar (10), Rehmat s/o Amant (50), Salman s/o Akbar (18), Nishat Fatima d/o Waheed (3), Begum Bibi w/o Farman Ali (62), Salima Bibi w/o Sharif (40), Irshad Bibi w/o Rafique (50), Khalid s/o Ghulam Rasool (38), Shamsuddin s/o Muhammad Hussain (25), Naveed s/o Rasheed (23), Rafique s/o Noor Muhammad (70), Shamim Akhtar w/o Muhammad Azeem (60), Nuri s/o Allah Ditta (70), Ali Raza s/o Ramzan (21), Bholey Shah s/o Dewan Ali (70), Abdul Hameed s/o Sharif (30), Ikram s/o Allah Ditta (62), Pervez s/o Shabbir (30), Fareed s/o Noor Ahmed (39), Shabbir s/o Allah Rakha (55) and Musarrat Bibi w/o Shabbir (45).

The injured persons, who belonged to Kichhi Mand, Dera Gujran, Pul Bajwan, Bajwat, Sukhian, Diara, Kakran, Padolian and Dewanpur villages, were admitted to the CMH in Sialkot Cantt by Rescue 1122 teams.

Heavy shelling and firing from the Indian BSF caused damages to scores of buildings and loss of dozens of cattle. Meanwhile, the Chenab Rangers responded to the Indian firing and shelling in a befitting manner.

About 10 persons have been martyred and dozens of others injured due to continuing violation of ceasefire agreement by the Indian BSF at the Sialkot Working Boundary, during the ongoing holy month of Ramazan only.

AFP adds: India and Pakistan exchanged fire across the Kashmir border on Sunday, officials said, killing two guards and ending a days-old agreement to honour a ceasefire in the disputed region.

Seven civilians were also injured at Aknoor, near the Line of Control, in a barrage that claimed the lives of two Indian border officials. "The injured soldiers were immediately evacuated to a military hospital where they later succumbed (to their injuries)," border force spokesman Manoj Yadav said in Jammu.

The salvo of gun and mortar fire came just four days after Pakistan and India promised to end ceasefire violations in Kashmir. The two sides had pledged to respect the conditions laid out in a 2003 ceasefire "in letter and spirit" following some of the highest levels of violence in Kashmir since the pact was signed. India has about 500,000 soldiers in the held Kashmir, where Kashmiris are fighting for merger with Pakistan.