Unprovoked Indian shelling from across the Line of Control killed two people, a woman and a teenage boy, on Sunday.
The shelling took place in the Nakyal sector of Kotli district, which according to local residents and officials have experienced constant ceasefire violations.
A news report in Dawn cited the Kotli Superintendent of Police (SSP) Raja Muhammad Akmal as saying that the shelling continued for around three hours. The SSP added that three people were injured due to the shelling, two of whom succumbed to their injuries later.
The shelling victims belonged to Daryari Palani village; the woman, Salamat Bibi, was 60 years old, while Zeeshan Ayub, was 13 years old.
Salamat Bibi’s son informed media that his mother was at the neighbour’s house when the Indian military started shelling and a shell landed at the neighbour’s house.
Salamat Bibi was taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead on arrival. Meanwhile, the other injured were referred to a hospital 37 kilometres away after initial treatment. One of the injured, Zeeshan, succumbed to his wounds during the journey.
A medical technologist at the hospital where Zeeshan was referred to said that he was brought dead to the hospital. He further stated that the third victim was out of danger.
The Inter-Services Public Relations in a statement termed the Indian action as ‘unprovoked firing’. The AJK prime minister has condemned the Indian shelling and offered condolences to the families of the victims.
In a statement to media, he said that the Indian Army’s targeting of the Kashmiri population on both sides of the Line of Control would shame the cruelest mercenaries of modern history.
Earlier on Saturday, a woman and her son were injured due to shelling by Indian forces in Fatehpur village of Haveli district.