MUZAFFARABAD: At least two women were killed and a teenage boy was injured in heavy and indiscriminate shelling by Indian troops across the Line of Control (LoC) in different areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Friday at midnight.

According to Assistant Commissioner Waleed Anwar, both fatalities occurred in Tetrinote, a forward village in Hajira subdivision of the Poonch district.

“Fierce shelling began around midnight, causing widespread panic and devastation in the forward areas,” AC Anwar told Dawn by telephone after midnight.

“Two women were killed in Tetrinote at approximately 12:30am. We are in the process of identifying them,” he said.

He added that at least 20 mortar and artillery shells landed on the eastern and northern outskirts of Hajira, a densely populated town of around 70,000-80,000 residents. “The hospital staff has been put on alert, but so far, no (other) casualties from the town have been reported,” he said.

A video circulating on social media, reportedly from Hajira, showed a car severely damaged by shell fragments.

In Neelum valley, some areas also came under fire. In Kel, located in the upper belt of the valley, a teenage boy identified as Bilal Anwar sustained injuries around 12:30am.

The shelling also damaged the local office of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) in the town, said Deputy Commis­sioner Nadeem Janjua.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025