A 22-year old girl was killed and her younger sibling and another teenaged boy were wounded in Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) on Saturday due to unprovoked Indian firing across the Line of Control (LoC), according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The casualties took place in the Nakyal area of Kotli district after a considerable pause in the ceasefire violations, Waleed Anwar, assistant commissioner of the area, said. The victim died on the spot while her 18-year old sister was critically injured after being hit by shrapnel from a mortar shell in Balakot village at about 7:35pm, he said.
The official said that the victim was being taken to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital Nakyal, reportedly in serious condition. Earlier in the day, a 16-year old boy received a bullet wound in his right leg shortly before noon in Oli Panjni village after Indian troops resorted to small arms fire without any provocation, he said.
The LoC that splits the disputed Kashmiri region has been relatively calm since September 2, when a 5-year-old girl was killed in the Abbaspur sector of Poonch district. However, while the LoC remained calm over the last three weeks, the Working Boundary saw heavy mortar shelling on Thursday which left six civilians dead and around 26 others injured in Harpal and Charwa sectors.