MUZAFFARABAD: Four people, including a minor boy, were injured in heavy Indian shelling in two valleys of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Monday, officials said.

In Leepa valley towards the southeast of Muzaffarabad, Muhammad Saghir, a driver, was injured after splinters of a shell hit him in the arm and ribs while he was behind the wheel of his jeep in Chunniyan village. He was provided treatment in a local hospital.

In Neelum valley towards the northeast of Muzaffarabad, shelling started after 7pm in Jura sector, during which Indian troops targeted civilian population in Falakan village, situated on the left bank of the Neelum River.

Three shops, two houses destroyed

As a result, three civilians, including a four-year-old boy, Azad, son of Mashahid Ibrahim, were injured. Azad was brought to a local health facility in a state of unconsciousness due to which initial reports came about his death, said deputy commissioner Raja Mahmood Shahid.

However, he regained consciousness after preliminary treatment following which he was referred to Muzaffarabad for a complex operation, he added. Mr Shahid said the other two injured persons were being treated locally.

Apart from the casualties, he said, three shops and two houses were also destroyed by the shelling.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2020