June 11, 2002	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 29, 1423

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MUZAFFARABAD, June 10: A girl was killed, and 18 others, including women and children, were injured in different areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Monday in unrelenting Indian shelling from across the Line of Control.

The killing occurred in Rajdhani Nidi Sohana village in Khuiratta sector of Kotli district, after shelling began at 5pm, officials said, identifying the victim as Zaheen Akhtar, 16, daughter of Alim. Another girl, Afsana, 14 was critically injured, they said.

Shelling in Khuiratta and adjoining Nakyal and Tatta Pani sectors in Kotli district continued till the filing of this report.

In Samahni sector in the southernmost Bhimbher district, shelling continued until dawn, and after a brief pause it resumed at about 10:30 am.

Four members of a family identified as Mushtaq, 70, his son Nawaz, daughter-in-law Resham Bibi, and granddaughter, Yasmin, were injured in Bandala village in the wee hours of Monday.

Later, three others from same family, Afraz, Rabiya and their 5-year-old brother, were injured in Kalach village, and one Mudassir was wounded in the nearby Dhingan village. Mohammad Siddique and Perveen Bibi were injured in the town of Samahni.

Officials said the Hajira and Abbaspur sectors in the southern Poonch district remained relatively calm in the day, but at 2pm Indian troops directly hit the town of Hajira and its environs, injuring one person.

Residents said mortar and artillery shells landed in and around Hajira between 2 to 3pm, causing much panic among the inhabitants of the town, where five people were killed in Indian shelling late last month.

Officials said one of the shells hit the official vehicle of the electricity department’s executive engineer (AJKC-2546), parked outside his office, destroying it completely. The building of the electricity department and a house, owned by Mohammad Rafiq, was also damaged in Hajira.

A vendor, Azam Alvi (resident of Nowshehra NWFP), in Kelot village on the outskirts of Hajira, was also injured.

The market in Hajira, barely 12 kilometres off the LoC was immediately closed down, a resident told Dawn.

Latif and his daughter Tasmia Bibi were injured in Tetrinot. In the Abbaspur sector, a house, owned by Talat Azad caught fire in shelling in Polas village. His wife, Farhat Perveen, suffered burn wounds. A house in Sutwal village was also damaged. Three persons, including Shahzad, 17, were injured in Leepa valley.