MUZAFFARABAD: A young girl was killed and her elder sibling and grandmother and another civilian were injured in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday in firing and shelling by the Indian army from across the Line of Control (LoC), officials said.

Rashid Naeem Khan, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police in Poonch division, told Dawn that the Battal sector in Hajira tehsil was the worst-hit area on the second consecutive day on Friday, with enemy shelling causing not only physical but also considerable material losses.

According to him, one of the mortar shells from across the divide landed close to a house in Darra Sher Khan village, injuring 80-year-old Motiyan Bibi and her grandchildren Iqrarul Haq, 17, and Iqra, 11.

Ms Bibi and Haq were sent to Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan Hospital, Rawalakot, while Iqra was rushed to a tertiary care hospital in Rawalpindi due to her critical condition, he said.

Iqra died before reaching hospital while the condition of the two other victims was stated to be stable, he added.

DIG Khan said that another civilian, Muhammad Asad, was injured in Sehrra village of Battal sector.

According to him, Thursday’s shelling left Mohammad Yaseen injured and a private house partially damaged in Darra Sher Khan village while six houses and a mosque were partially damaged in Goi Barmoch village of Kotli district.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2020