MUZAFFARABAD: At least two civilians were injured in Kotli district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday due to heavy Indian shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC), an official said.

Shariq Talat, district disaster management officer, told Dawn that Indian army had resorted to indiscriminate shelling in Goi sector of Kotli tehsil at about 7:30pm, targeting Barmoch, Rad Katha, Batali, Kaniyath, Sidhara and other villages.

“The shelling is so ruthless that the entire population of the affected areas has been confined to their homes,” he said, adding that so far they had received reports about injuries to two residents of Barmoch, identified as Mohammad Rafaqat and Mohammad Salman.

Mr Talat feared that there could be more casualties as the vulnerable villages in the closest proximity of the LoC were devoid of mobile phone service.

Mr Talat said that Jandrot sector of Kotli and Battal sector of neighbouring Poonch district had also been receiving shells from across the divide, but immediately there was no report of any casualty from there.

Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2020