• Six lives lost in AJK, including 40-day-old infant; many homes, hospitals and schools damaged by Indian fire
• Worried residents of India-held Kashmir flee Uri; Omar Abdullah reports hearing heavy artillery fire in occupied Jammu

MUZAFFARABAD: Amid rising tensions between the two nuclear armed neighbours, intense exchanges continued along the Line of Control on Thursday night and into Friday, with the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) PM describing the Indian bombardment as “some of the heaviest shelling in recent times”.

Both Pakistan and India have accused each other of violating the ceasefire, and on Friday conflicting reports emerged of blackouts and intense shelling being heard in India-held Kashmir as well.

The occupied territory’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, posted on X on Friday night, saying he could hear “intermittent sounds of blasts, probably heavy artillery”, adding that there was a blackout in held Jammu as well.

While he did not mention Pakistan or accuse it of carrying out the attacks, he called on people to stay off the streets and ignore rumours and unverified information.

On the Pakistan side, locals said the Indian aggression, which resumed after sundown on Friday, claimed the lives of six civilians — including a 40-day-old infant — and left more than 30 others injured, officials confirmed.

“This was the heaviest artillery shelling in recent times, affecting even those areas that had largely remained untou­ched in previous ceasefire violations,” said AJK Prime Minis­ter Chaudhry Anwarul Haq at a press conference in his office on Friday afternoon.

“However, the resilience shown by our people and the befitting response by our armed forces to the enemy’s aggression is truly commendable,” he added.

Earlier in the day, officials from Poonch, Muzaffarabad and Mirpur divisions shared details of the widespread damage and casualties as the shelling intensified past midnight.

In Kotehri Najam Khan village of Bagh district, 22-year-old Usama Ishrat — who had married just 10 days earlier — lost his life when an artillery shell, reportedly fired from the Uri sector, pierced the tin roof of his house at around 3:50am.

His sisters, Anoob Shahzadi, 19, and Kashaf Ishrat, 17, along with a neighbour, Basharat Hussain, 52, sustained injuries.

In the Haveli district, several people were injured by shelling between midnight and 2am on Friday.

Kotli district suffered some of the heaviest losses.

In Gora village of Khuiratta tehsil, a shell that struck a house claimed the lives of 20-year-old Samra Asif and her 40-day-old daughter Ziman Fatima.

In Balyal Bharot village, 58-year-old Raja Shahpal, and in Bandli village, 32-year-old Usman Khalid were slain after being hit by shell fragments inside their homes. Locals said Mr Khalid had returned from Libya barely a week ago for a vacation.

Apart from the casualties, numerous homes and public-sector buildings — including healthcare facilities — were also damaged in the cross-LoC shelling.

All educational institutions in the region remained closed on Friday. The prime minister said a review of school reopening and board examinations would be undertaken on Monday.

“People are not willing to leave their homes, which reflects their extraordinary courage,” the premier said. “We had to forcibly evacuate them for their own safety.”

Meanwhile, on Friday, the government announced the suspension of weekend holidays in all departments classified as essential services under the AJK Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 2016.

According to a statement by the State Disaster Management Authority, at least 17 lives have been lost 53 people injured in AJK since Tuesday night due to missile attacks and shelling along the LoC.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the LoC, artillery fire destroyed or damaged dozens of homes in Uri, forcing many to flee to safer areas in towns like Baramulla.

Sajjad Shafi, a local lawmaker, told AFP that about 10 per cent of Uri’s population — some 22,000 people — fled since the latest fighting began.

On Friday, many more were fleeing in buses and trucks provided by the government or driving off in their own cars.

“How can we stay here?” Rubina Begum said outside her destroyed home. “The government should lodge us somewhere safe”.

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2025