In response to Indian missile strikes and intense shelling that killed at least 11 civilians and wounded several others across three districts along the Line of Control (LoC), the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Wednesday established a Central Emergency Response Centre to coordinate rescue, relief, and damage assessment efforts round the clock.
A view of smouldering Bilal Mosque/TN
Officials in Muzaffarabad, Haveli, Poonch, and Kotli provided preliminary details of the devastation, noting that a precise evaluation of property losses was still underway. As part of the emergency measures, all educational institutions across the region were ordered closed until further notice.
In Muzaffarabad’s Shawai area, a mosque struck by missiles—killing three people, including its 80-year-old caretaker—remained the focus of high-profile visits throughout the day. Among the visitors were members of the United Nations Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), who were briefed by military officials on the unprovoked Indian attack.
Technical teams combed the smouldering structure for unexploded devices and evidence that might aid ongoing investigations.
Residents near the mosque shared harrowing accounts of the attack.
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| Safeer Awan speaking to media/photo TN |
Refuting Indian claims of militant presence in the area, he added, “If there had been any terrorists around this mosque, would a school be operating right next to it? This is nothing but baseless propaganda by the Modi regime.”
Muhammad Ali, 26, a shoe store employee living about 200 metres from the mosque, said: “I was scrolling on my phone when the lights suddenly went out. Then came a deafening explosion. At first, we thought a transformer had blown, but then a series of blasts followed. It was terrifying.”
After a lull in attacks, he and his friends fled the area on a motorbike without headlights and spent the night in his village.
“When we returned at dawn, the police and army had cordoned off the area,” he added.
A man shows broken window panes/TN
Bilal Nasrullah, 21, a worker at a nearby dairy farm, recalled: “The missiles lit up the night sky one after another. People were running for their lives. We hid under a cluster of dense trees until the shelling stopped. My family, who live nearby, were also shaken.”
Muzaffarabad Deputy Commissioner Mudasser Farooq said many residents had been evacuated from Shawai overnight and returned home by the afternoon.
“If any new threat emerges, we are ready to respond,” he said.
He identified the deceased mosque caretaker as Yaqoob from Nagdar village in Neelum Valley, who was buried near Bilal Mosque after funeral prayers at AJK University’s Chehla campus. The other victims—Waqas Nasim from Abbaspur and Hassan from Rawalakot—were buried in their respective hometowns following funeral prayers in Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot.
In Kotli, missiles struck Masjid-e-Abbas in the densely populated Roli neighbourhood, but no casualties were reported as the mosque was unoccupied at the time. However, a missile hit a nearby three-storey house, killing 19-year-old Misbah Kausar and her 12-year-old brother Umar on the second floor. On the first floor, 35-year-old Nusrat Parveen and her 12-year-old son Muhammad were injured, according to Kotli Deputy Commissioner Nasir Rafique.
Deaths at LoC
Apart from the losses from missile strikes, several other fatalities and injuries were caused by intense and indiscriminate shelling along the LoC, officials said.
In Forward Kahuta, the district headquarters of Haveli, mortar shells struck two semi-detached houses, killing Muhammad Amin Butt and Raj Muhammad. The former’s wife Hafiza, daughter Shabnam, sister-in-law Razia Nazir, and niece Kiran were injured. In Keirni village, another resident, Fakharuddin, sustained critical injuries.
In Poonch district, Maqsood Sakhi, 45, and Ishtiaq Zameer, 35, were killed in Kharanj and Ghambir Bala villages of Hajira subdivision. A 7-year-old boy, Irtiza Abbas, son of an army officer posted in Poonch, was also martyred in the same subdivision.
Apart from that, six others, including a woman and a young boy, were injured in Hajira and neighbouring Abbaspur.
In the Khuiratta area of Kotli, 26-year-old Sidra Qamar was killed by shelling while sweeping the veranda of her home in Ghora Sial village. The house was left riddled with holes.
In Panjkot area of Muzaffarabad, a man and a woman were injured in separate incidents of shelling.
DC Farooq also informed that the Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP) had suffered damage to its hydraulic power unit (HPU), forcing the closure of a gate. An ambulance belonging to the project was also hit.
On Wednesday, all educational institutions remained closed, while markets were open but subdued.
A view of CMH Road on Wednesday/TN
Despite an invisible fear, many residents remained defiant.
“We are Muslims—we believe our time of death is written,” said Adil Hameed, an electronics dealer in Madina Market. “So why live in fear?”
Late in the afternoon, the government ordered that all educational institutions—both public and private—would remain closed until further orders.
Emergency Response Centre
A high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwarul Haq decided to establish the Central Emergency Response Centre, which will operate 24/7 with divisional commissioners, DIGs, DCs, and SSPs as members. The centre was tasked to report directly to the prime minister on evolving threats.
The meeting also approved the establishment of Emergency Health and Information Response Centres to work in full coordination with the central unit.
Prime Minister Haq instructed authorities to ensure immediate medical assistance for the injured and full support to the families of the deceased.
He also ordered the availability of essential supplies and directed officials to resolve staff and medicine shortages in health facilities within 24 hours.
The Central Response Centre was also assigned to collect data on livestock and property losses and initiate concrete relief and rehabilitation measures.
Ends
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