2 killed, 9 hurt in Pak shelling at LoC in J&K

Two civilians - a 35-year-old woman and a 16-year-old boy - were killed and nine others injured yesterday when Pakistan army heavily shelled forward posts and villages along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district, officials said.

The firing and shelling from across the border in Shahpur and Kirni sectors was retaliated by the Indian Army, but the casualties suffered by Pakistan was not known immediately, they said.

"At about 2:30 pm, Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by firing of small arms and shelling with mortars in the two sectors. The Indian army is retaliating befittingly," a defence spokesman said.

A police officer said two civilians - Gulnaz Akhtar and Shoib Ahmad - were killed and nine others including two women and a minor boy were injured in the Pakistani shelling in Shahpur sector.

The shelling is going on heavily in the area, he said, adding the injured were evacuated to a hospital and the condition of some of them was stated to be "serious".

Several residential houses were also damaged but the exact details are awaited, the officer said.

With the latest deaths, the number of those killed in Pakistani shelling and firing along the LoC and the International Border (IB) this year has gone up to 32.

There have been nearly 3,000 ceasefire violations by Pakistan along the LoC and the IB, including 950 post abrogation of Article 370 provisions on August 5, this year, the officials said.