MUZAFFARABAD: An elderly woman was killed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Tuesday after being hit by a bullet fired by an Indian soldier from across the Line of Control (LoC), officials said.

Imam Bibi was busy in household chores in the courtyard of her house in Polas Kakuta village of Ab­baspur sector when she was hit by the bullet, said Raja Tahir Mumtaz, the deputy commissioner of Poonch district. The bullet killed her on the spot. Polas Kakuta is located in the proximity of the heavily militarised LoC that has been witnessing frequent ceasefire violations for more than a year now.

Qazi Arslan, an officer at Abbaspur police station, told Dawn that most families from the highly vulnerable areas along the LoC had moved out because of continued cross-border shelling and firing but some were still living there.

“Ms Bibi also moved to a safe area, but returned last week, saying that she would not leave her home,” he said.

Mr Arslan said that since the AJK government had lately decided that all civilians martyred in Indian shelling would be laid to rest with full official honours, Ms Bibi would be buried in her village on Wednesday amid a guard of honour by police.

“Let’s hope there is no enemy shelling on Wednes­day,” he said. Though the LoC has been relatively calm since late last month, sporadic ceasefire violations by Indian troops continue to cause harm in AJK.

On Sunday, a 10-year-old boy, playing in the courtyard of his house in Battal sector of tehsil Hajira, was criti­cally wounded in Indian troops’ firing. Before that, two women were killed and six others wounded in Indian shelling in Leepa valley of Muzaffarabad division on Oct 24.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2017