MUZAFFARABAD: Heavy shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC) left at least 19 people, including women and children, injured in different parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday, officials said.

The shelling first started in Khuiratta sector of Kotli district at about 2:30pm and was the heaviest for many months, according to Assistant Commissioner Ali Asghar.

“The Indian troops indiscriminately targeted houses and educational institutions without an iota of shame,” he said while talking to Dawn from the Seri village.

“Seven people were injured in the Seri village, while a teenager was injured in Janjot Bahadur village,” he added.

They were identified as Munir Begum, 50, Somia Zubair, 28, Moeen Riaz, 22, Sheharyar Jabir, 22, his cousin Aamer Suleman, 21, Anwar Begum, 80, and Abdul Qadeer, 25. The victim in Janjot Bahadur village was identified as Danish Rauf, 16.

According to the superintendant of District Headquarters Hospital in Kotli, Dr Tariq Mehmood, many of the injured had been brought to his facility. He said that some of them were in critical condition.

The assistant commissioner claimed that along with these casualties, three buffaloes belonging to Mistri Tofeeq were killed in the neighbouring village of Tain. He added that the shelling had damaged many houses.

A few shells landed on the premises of the Girls College Seri where girls were taking a 10th grade exam under the AJK Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education.

“Panic spread in the [examination] hall and girls ran out for safety... fortunately no one was hurt,” he said.

Kotli’s Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed Kiani told Dawn he had written to the board’s chairperson to reschedule the exam. He added that the examination centre had also been shifted to Gora Balyal.

In Poonch district, heavy shelling started in the Battal sector of Hajira district at about 4:30pm, and left 10 people injured in different villages, according to Deputy Commissioner Raja Tahir Mumtaz.

They were identified as Shah Begum, 50, Adil Mohammad, 11, and Furqan Taraf, 18, of Dharamsal village; Nahila Bibi, 15, and Anwar Jan, 40, of Rakkar Dabi village; Lubna Khalid, 27, of Mandhol village; and Arzu Rahim, 10, her sister Aiman Rahim, 6, Konain Hafeez, 15, and Zahida Begum, 40, of Battal village.

Shelling was also reported from Bhimber district, where, according to Deputy Commissioner Chaudhry Guftar, a 25-year-old woman identified as Mehreen Amir was injured in the Abdullahpur village.

Meanwhile, Mr Kiani claimed that around 300 bunkers would be constructed soon in highly vulnerable villages of Nakyal, Charhoi and Khuiratta tehsils. “The first instalment of the amount allocated for the construction of these bunkers for civilians has been released,” he said.

Mr Mumtaz also said that as many as 200 bunkers were being built in three villages of Abbaspur tehsil and one village of Hajira tehsil.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2018