MUZAFFARABAD: Four men from the same family were killed when a landmine exploded near the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The incident occurred on Monday afternoon in Mehndla village of Hajira tehsil, when the men had gone to repair a water supply pipe originating from a spring near the de facto boundary, according to residents.
They claimed Indian army personnel had planted a landmine near the spring, which exploded as the men reached the site, killing all four on the spot.
“Residents rushed to the site after hearing the explosion, but found all four men dead,” one of them told Dawn by telephone.
Poonch Divisional Commissioner Sardar Waheed Khan confirmed the deaths and said Indian Army personnel had planted the landmine.
However, in an official statement, the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) said the landmine had reportedly washed into AJK through one of the rivers or streams flowing from the Indian side.
The deceased were identified as Sardar Waqas Sharif, Sardar Faizan Sagheer, Sardar Ishtiaq Ahmed and Sardar Asim Rafique. They were in their late twenties, belonged to the local Dulli community and were closely related to senior journalist Sardar Zahid Tabassum.
Former AJK prime minister Sardar Abdul Qayyum Niazi, who belongs to the same clan and area, expressed grief over the deaths and offered condolences to the bereaved families.
In a statement, he said India was killing Kashmiris not only in the occupied territory but also along the LoC by planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and shooting people engaged in routine activities such as herding cattle and collecting medicinal plants.
Last year, a bomb disposal squad defused a landmine in Khoh Pani Bandala village near the Line of Control (LoC) in Bhimber district.
A Civil Defence spokesperson said the mine had washed into a drain from the Indian side in a village in Samahni and was safely defused.
The squad responded promptly to a complaint lodged by Khalid Mahmood, a shopkeeper in Bandala village.
The spokesperson said local residents appreciated the timely action and praised the squad’s effective response to the potential threat.
Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2026
