Srinagar
A woman was killed and nine other people, including two police constables, were injured in Pakistan administered Kashmir on Monday as Indian troops resorted to “ruthless” mortar shelling from across the restive Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan media reported.
The deceased, identified as Asiya Bibi, was hit in the head by shrapnel from a mortar shell outside her house, resulting in on spot death of the mother of a toddler.
The injured were identified as Sadaf Zia, 16, Misbah Jameel, 8, Kulsoom Shafqat, 18, Zarmeen Bibi, 20, Ansar Bibi, 35, and her son Khawaja Amir, 20, Rafaqat Khan, 35, and police constables Raja Zulqarnain, 36, and Malik Sajjad, 33.
According to a report by Dawn, the Indian troops on last day of this year, 2018 targeted Athmuqam area, the otherwise rarely hit district headquarters of the picturesque Neelum Valley, located some 80 kilometres northeast of state capital Muzaffarabad.
“First they [Indians] fired some shells on Pakistan Army posts, but suddenly they started pounding civilian installations with mortar shells,” Akhtar Ayub, an Athmuqam based disaster risk management officer told Dawn.
Video footages shared by some Athmuqam residents in WhatsApp groups showed people running to safety amid the thunder of shelling and clouds of smoke, the report mentioned.
Saeed Qureshi, a senior officer at State Disaster Management Authority, told Dawn Monday’s Indian shelling pushed the death toll in PaK in the outgoing year to 28, including 19 men and 9 women, and the number of injured to 172, including 92 men and 80 women.
The shelling also left 29 houses damaged partially and completely destroyed three houses and a shop. At least 13 cattle head also perished in the violence, he said, Dawn reported.
