Two civilians were killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir in alleged Indian firing while an Indian labourer died in alleged shelling by Pakistan army in Poonch and Rajouri areas along the Line of Control, officials said on Thursday.
Pakistan strongly condemned India’s “deliberate” targeting of civilians in Pakistan-administered Kashmir as two persons lost their lives and six others, including four women, were injured in “unprovoked and intense Indian firing” from across the restive Line of Control.
“India's deliberate targeting of civilians is condemnable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws,” said Foreign Office spokesperson M Nafees Zakaria in a tweet after the casualties took place in different villages of PaK’s southern Poonch district.
“The Indian troops started shelling in Battal sector at about 7 am without any provocation, targeting civilian populations with both small arms and mortars,” Poonch deputy commissioner Raja Tahir Mumtaz told Greater Kashmir.
He said that two men, one in his late twenties and the other in mid sixties, lost their lives to “intense” shelling from across the divide. He identified them as Ghazar Ahmed of Kakuta village and Sardar Fazal Ahmed in Darra Sher Khan village.
The injured Malick Muhammad Jamil and Syeda Faria Kabir in Battal village, Qazi Mohammad Safeer and Jabeen Mehboob in Lachyal village, Tayyiba Hanif in Rakkar village and Nasreen Akhtar in Mandhol village, were hospitalised, he said.
Mumtaz said due to shelling, students in the area could not take their intermediate examination on Thursday.
“On our request, the intermediate board has cancelled today’s paper and it will be taken on a new date,” he said.
Earlier, in a statement, the ISPR said that Indian troops “initiated unprovoked firing at Battal, Jandrot and Hotspring (Tatta Pani) sectors at [the] LoC in the morning.”
It said that Pakistani troops were “effectively engaging Indian positions.”
The Samahni sector in the southernmost Bhimber district also witnessed exchange of fire, but no casualties were reported from there.
“It was small arms fire which began in the wee hours of Thursday and continued intermittently till noon, but fortunately no one was injured,” said Bhimber deputy commissioner Chaudhry Guftar Hussain.
In Islamabad, Foreign Office summoned India’s deputy high commissioner J P Singh to lodge a protest over unprovoked ceasefire violations along the LoC.
The heavily militarised dividing line in disputed Kashmir has been tense for quite some time, causing mostly civilian casualties.
On Wednesday, a 26-year old woman was injured in Nakyal sector of Kotli district while on Friday (May 26) a 60-year old woman was killed in Naali village of Bhimber district.
Last week, Indian troops had claimed that they attacked and damaged Pakistan army posts in PaK “to prevent militants infiltrating (into the India held territory) from that side.”
However, Pakistan had denied India's claims.
GREF LABOURER KILLED, 2 KILLED IN ‘PAK SHELLING’
A General Engineering Reserve Force (GREF) labourer was killed while two others including a BSF man injured as Pakistan on Thursday alleged violated the ceasefire by shelling mortars and firing on forward posts along the LoC in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian Army retaliated to the ceasefire violations.
“One civil GREF labourer was killed, and one GREF driver injured in ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops. One Head Constable of BSF received splinter injury in Krishnagati sector. He is out of danger,” Defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta said.
“Pakistan Army resorted to mortar shelling and firing on forward posts along the LoC in Nowshera sector in Rajouri district from 0730 hours,” he said.
Pakistani troops also opened fire and shelled posts along the LoC in Krishnagati sector of Poonch district from 0740 hours, he said.
The reports said there has been firing along the LoC in Balnoi and Mankote sectors too.
“The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively and the firing is presently on,” he said.