MUZAFFARABAD, Jan 28: At least five people were killed and 11 others injured in indiscriminate and unprovoked Indian shelling in two sectors of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Monday.

Poonch Deputy Commissioner Liaqat Hussain told Dawn by telephone that Indian troops had shelled many villages of the Hajira sector, using artillery and mortars.

The shelling left five people dead and three others wounded in the Tetrinot village.

An artillery shell hit a house, killing the owner, Mohammad Azam, 50, and his 10-year old son, Jafar, and seriously wounding his daughters, Mehwish, 15, and Anzala, 12.

In two other houses, Naseera, 20, his sister, Akshi, 6, and 13-year-old Nadia died in the shelling in which another villager, Noor Mohammad, received serious wounds.

In the morning, at least eight people were injured when Indian forces shelled Nakyal sector villages.

The unprovoked shelling started at 7am and continued till 12:30pm, targeting almost all villages of the Nakyal sector, Kotli district.

Kotli SP Raja Abdur Razzaq Khan told Dawn over phone that a shell had landed on the roof of a house in the Balakot village, injuring the owner, Mohammad Gulzar, 50, and his sons, Nisar, 22, and Zulfikar, 14.

The house was partially damaged. Another person, whose name could not be ascertained, was injured in the same village.

The shelling left four other people wounded — one each in the adjoining Jandrot, Datot, Mohra and Turkandi villages.

Those injured were named as Iftikhar, Sufi Mohammad Alam, Sikandar and Sadiq.

According to an ISPR press release, Indian troops resorted to unprovoked shelling and fire at Nakyal, Sabzkot and Baghsar sub-sectors.

In Baghsar (Bhimber sector), the Indian forces fired four anti-tank missiles at Pakistani forward positions, causing no damage or casualty.

The Pakistan Army swiftly retaliated the attack, causing considerable damage to Indian positions.

Monday’s casualties are the highest in a single day in the AJK since the escalation of tensions along the Line of Control, following huge troop build-up by India and Pakistan.