Two Pakistani civilians including minor girl martyred in Indian firing: ISPR

Dunya News

Indian troops targeted Pakistani civilians in violation of ceasefire agreement.

RAWALPINDI (Dunya News) - Pakistan army said Monday that two Pakistani civilians including a minor girl were martyred in Indian firing along the working boundary in Punjab province.

"Due to Indian unprovoked firing at working boundary last night, a civilian Muhammad Latif of village Janglora and a minor Haniya age one and a half embraced Shahadat (martyrdom) while 7 civilians were injured," the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) reported.

The ISPR further stated that Indian forces resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling which was befittingly responded to by Pakistan Rangers Punjab in Harpal, Pukhlian and Charwah sectors on working boundary.

Intermittent exchange of firing continued throughout night. Injured civilians have been shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Sialkot.

In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria said Indian troops targeted civilians in violation of ceasefire agreement.

He said that heating up of Working Boundary and Line of Control by India is endangering peace in the region.

The latest incident happened as escalation along the Line of Control (LoC), which divides the two neighbors in the disputed Kashmir, has been seen since militants attack on an Indian army camp in the Occupied Kashmir on Sept. 18, killing 19 soldiers.

The Indian military blamed the Pakistan-based "Jaish-e-Mohammad" group and also pointed fingers at Pakistan. Islamabad rejected the charges and suggested independent investigation.

Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire in 2003 that had silenced the guns. However, firing exchanges do take place time to time across the border and shelling has increased in recent days.