KOTLI: At least three people, including a policeman, were killed and five others injured, as Pakistani and Indian border troops resumed firing across the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday.
A 30-year old police constable, Imtiaz, died on the spot after being hit by a mortar shell in Nakyal Sector of Kotli, Nakyal Assistant Commissioner Sardar Zeeshan Nisar told a private news channel.
He said that a woman named Azmat Bibi was killed in Oli Panjni, while a man named Safri was killed in Bai Dhara villages of Nakyal.
“The Indians are ruthlessly targeting the civilian population. Exact losses can be obtained only when the shelling subsides,” he said.
Mohammad Bashir and Said Mohammad were injured in Nakyal and referred to the DHQ Hospital, Kotli.
“Indiscriminate shelling began in the morning and is ongoing, forcing everyone to stay indoors,” said Haji Azad, a resident of Nakyal.
He said that the exact number of casualties could not be ascertained instantaneously, since mobile communication in the most of the forward locations was disturbed and vehicular and pedestrian movement impossible.
In the northeastern Neelum Valley, Indian troops hit a vehicle on the main Neelum Valley Road near Danjar, causing injuries to two passengers, including a young boy. Another person was injured in Falakan Village, said Deputy Commissioner Sardar Waheed. “The shelling was sporadic and has stopped at the moment,” he said.
He added that the administration was not allowing any tourist in the area.
Military sources said that Pakistani troops were also befittingly responding to Indian shelling. The Battal, Madarpur and Darra Sher Khan sectors in the southern Poonch district remained calm on Monday.
Earlier on Sunday, six people, including two women, were injured in these sectors by Indian shelling that continued until evening. At least 25 houses and three vehicles were partially or completely damaged, and four cattle heads killed in Sunday’s shelling in Battal, Madarpur and Darra Sher Khan sectors.
