Indian troops unleashed intense and indiscriminate shelling across the Line of Control (LoC) late Thursday night, targeting civilian populations in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) until dawn on Friday.A man walks through Jura Bazar on Friday/TN
The unprovoked aggression, which resumed after sunset on Friday, left six civilians — including a 40-day-old infant — martyred and 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 ten days earlier — was martyred 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 Haveli district, several people were injured between 12:23am and 2am. Among them were Hurmat Kausar, 22, and her five-year-old daughter Hajira in Nakar Kot village; Muhammad Yasin, 45, in Chanjal; and Shahid Deen, 40, in Forward Kahua.
Six more civilians were injured in the villages of Phagwati, Devi Galli, Mandhol, Dhar Bazar, Mera Kehlot, Zyarat Muhalla, and Chaffar of Hajira and Abbaspur tehsils. They included Rehan Shakoor, 14; Muavia, 22; Malik Mir Akbar, 60; Chaudhry Rafique, 55; Maryam Shahzad, 35; and Muhammad Farooq, 45.
Kotli district suffered the heaviest losses between 1:25am and 2:10am.
In Gora village of Khuiratta tehsil, 20-year-old Samra Asif and her 40-day-old daughter Ziman Fatima were martyred when a shell struck their house.
In Balyal Bharot village, 58-year-old Raja Shahpal, and in Bandli village, 32-year-old Usman Khalid were also martyred after being hit by shell fragments inside their homes.
Locals said Khalid had returned from Libya barely a week earlier on vacation.
Those injured in different parts of Khuiratta tehsil included Imtiaz Begum, 45, and her daughters Tahira, 22, and Iqra, 20, Zobia, 22, Banaras, 45, and his son Haroon, 18, Shabbir Hussain, 52, Muhammad Rafique, 70, Muhammad Iqbal, 70, and his son Qaiser Iqbal, 26, Khurshid Mian, 50, and Shagufta Ejaz, 40.
Elsewhere in Kotli district, Muhammad Gul, 53; Salahuddin, 85; and Toshiba Akhtar, 20, were injured in Nakyal and Charhoi tehsils.
In Bhimber district, three civilians — Urooj Shabbir, 16; Muhammad Ashraf, 55; and Muzammil Hussain, 50 — were injured in shelling incidents in Samahni and Barnala tehsils.
In Muzaffarabad division, five civilians were injured in Jhelum Valley and one in Neelum Valley early Friday morning. After maghrib prayers, Indian troops resumed shelling in Neelum valley. One shell landed on a house in Shahkot village, killing a woman.
Apart from human casualties, numerous private homes and public-sector buildings — including healthcare facilities — were 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.
Muzaiz Zahid, an 18-year-old FSc student at a cadet college near Muzaffarabad, expressed concern over academic disruption.
“Our entire schedule is in disarray. Had the exams been held on time, we could have started preparing for university admissions,” he said.
“Despite the escalation, none of my classmates are fearful. Some of them from Bagh even sent me videos of shells flying over their homes last night.”
Prime Minister Haq reiterated that the determination of the Kashmiri and Pakistani people remained unwavering.
He told that in Neelum Valley, 319 residents were evacuated from Bore to Dawarian, and 119 from Ratta Pani to Sharda. In Bagh district, 79 individuals were relocated to Rara.
“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, the government on Friday announced the suspension of weekend holidays in all departments classified as essential services under the AJK Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 2016.
A notification listed 17 departments whose employees were directed to remain present in their offices on Saturdays and Sundays as well.
Total losses
Meanwhile, according to a statement by the SDMA, at least 17 people had embraced martyrdom and 53 others had sustained injuries in AJK since Tuesday night due to missile attacks and shelling along the LoC.
The statement added that 14 cattle had perished, while 24 houses, a shop, and two cattle sheds were completely destroyed. Another 204 houses sustained partial damage. One mosque was razed and nine others were partially damaged. Four educational institutions, three health facilities, and an electricity office also suffered partial damage. Around eight vehicles and motorcycles were either partially or completely damaged.
Tariq Naqash