SIALKOT: An elderly man was killed on Wednesday in shelling by the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) on villages along the Sialkot Working Boundary.

Nine other people — including four women — were injured.

Rescue 1122 officials said that Abdul Ghafar, 60, was hit and killed by a mortar shell in Timber village.

Kanwal Bibi, 22, her mother Sardara Bibi, 52, and 17-year-old Raza Ahmed of Bhooyi village in the Charwah sector were badly injured in the shelling. Others who received various injuries included: Barkat Ali, 75, from a village in Harpal Sector, Rafaqat Bibi, 55, and her son Mudassar Ali, 18, from Sujan village in Charwah Sector, Muhammad Salamat, 25, Hashim Ali and Kalsum Bibi.

Rescue 1122 personnel took six of those injured to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Sialkot, in critical condition. Hashim Ali and Kalsum Bibi were later taken to Lahore for further treatment. The rest were taken to the Shakargarh THQ Hospital.

Residents of the border villages said that several mortar shells landed, but did not explode, in fields spread over Meerajkey, Charwah and Chak Amru.

Sialkot Deputy Commissioner Farrukh Naveed visited the injured residents at the CMH, and distributed cheques of Rs75,000 among those who had received critical injuries. He gave cheques of Rs25,000 each to those who had received minor injuries.

Separately, Narowal Deputy Commissioner Ali Annan Qamar said, “Migrants of the working boundary have been welcomed to the relief camps we have set up... the Narowal district government has set up these camps at public schools so that the people have access to electricity, water and proper sanitation.”

The Narowal DC also distributed compensation cheques among those injured in the attack by Indian BSF.

He visited the homes of those martyred in the attack and handed over compensation cheques to their relatives.

Meanwhile, Indian police alleged that Pakistani soldiers continued targeting Indian border posts and villages with mortars and automatic gunfire in the India-held Jammu region, adds AFP.

At least five civilians were killed and 30 others injured, said a top police officer, S.D. Singh.

Indian officials claimed they had closed all schools within five kilometres of the border and government forces used armoured vehicles to evacuate residents who left behind homes and cattle.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2018