Young AJK tractor driver killed in Indian firing from across the LoC

Published November 15, 2019
Muhammad Ali was ploughing a field in Nali village near the LoC when a single bullet struck him in the neck. — AFP/File
Muhammad Ali was ploughing a field in Nali village near the LoC when a single bullet struck him in the neck. — AFP/File

A young tractor driver lost his life in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday after an Indian soldier hit him from across the restive Line of Control (LoC) in what officials termed as yet another incident of “targeted killing”.

Muhammad Ali was ploughing a field in Nali village, just a stone’s throw from the unmarked dividing line in tehsil Barnala, when a single bullet struck him in the neck, according to Ansar Mahmood, a police official based in the area.

“The 20-year-old fell from the tractor and died on the spot,” he added.

The deceased, an orphan who eked out a living by driving someone’s tractor, was laid to rest in his native Seri village in Samahni tehsil of Bhimber district in the evening.

According to officials, people living in the closest proximity of the LoC while doing different chores often end up falling victims to targeted firing by trigger-happy Indian troops.

“It is a brutal act of targeted killing, something for which Indian troops stationed at the LoC have gained notoriety over the years,” said Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, AJK’s senior minister, who also belongs to Bhimber district.

“He (Ali) is the latest victim of the cowardly and dreadful Indian practice of purposely targeting unarmed and innocent civilians in AJK with high calibre weapons even when the ceasefire line is apparently calm,” he added.

Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider also took to Twitter to condemn the latest incident of firing along the LoC.

“...Skirmishes and artillery duels between rival troops are not something uncustomary in a conflict zone but hitting non-combatant civilians in such a fashion is typical of the coward Indian army. Shame on them,” he wrote.

According to Syed Shahid Mohyiddin Qadri, secretary of the AJK government’s disaster management authority, the LoC has been regularly witnessing ceasefire violations by the Indian army, notwithstanding the November 2003 truce agreement, and as a result civilian casualties have also been regularly occurring.

During the ongoing year, as many as 56 civilians have lost their lives and another 266 sustained injuries in different parts of AJK due to firing by Indian troops, he said.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.