MUZAFFARABAD,(Parliament Times): In a major flare-up along the Seize Fire Line (SFL), one Pakistan army soldier and five civilians, including a teenaged girl and a six year old boy, were martyred and another 33 civilians and five soldiers were wounded in Azad Kashmir. Indian Army targeted mainly the civilian populated areas this Friday in unprovoked and indiscriminate seize fire violations, along the seize fire line in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Most of the casualties occurred in Neelum Valley and the rest in Nauseri sector in Muzaffarabad district and Reshian area of Leepa Valley. These are the same areas which were bombarded last year in July when Indian army had also used the banned cluster ammunition.
Indian troops started shelling in Neelum and Leepa valleys simultaneously on Friday and then expanded its range to Nauseri sector of district Muzaffarabad. It is said to be the heaviest ever shelling in the Neelum valley, resembling last year’s carpet bombing of valley’s civilian populated areas. Shelling in Neelum valley claimed at least 4 lives and around two dozen civilians, including women and children were injured, some of them critically.
More than a dozen of multi-storeyed house, and a shop were burnt to ashes while around double this figure were partially damaged in different parts of the Valley.
The news of cowardly Indian act spread like fire in social media where locals and tourists posted videos and pictures of wooden houses on fire and those of injured and martyred.
Chamm and Pandu sectors of Jhelum valley district also faced heavy Indian shelling but fortunately no casualties occurred there.
President and Prime-Minister of AJK as well as other leaders have condemned unprovoked and indiscriminate shelling by Indian occupation forces targeting unarmed and innocent civilians along SFL and called upon the UN to play its role in addressing the core issue for durable peace in the region. Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a presser reiterated that “Pakistan is a peace loving country and Pakistan army pursue the same aspirations. However, we stand committed to defend the motherland and our Kashmiri brethren even at the cost of our blood and lives. We assure, that all such provocative acts shall continue to be responded in the same coin,”.
Such deplorable acts of targeting innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces is highly condemnable, such cowardly acts are in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding as well as against all established humanitarian norms and professional military ethics. Lives of thousands of people living in villages close to the SFL have been affected as shells rain from across the SFL and threaten families, homes, cattle besides damaging agricultural fields, but such cowardly acts can not lessen the determination of Kashmiris. Continuous ceasefire violations by India along the Line of Control can no longer help her in diverting attention from its internal anarchy and gross human rights violations in IIOJK.
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