August 21, 2023
RAWALPINDI: A 60-year-old was martyred and three women were “traumatised” due to the unprovoked firing by the Indian troops in the Nikial Sector along the Line of Control (LoC), the military’s media wing said in a statement.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) identified the martyred civilian as Ghias, a resident of Village Oli of District Kotli. It added that the women were “traumatised while cutting grass in the fields”.
“This blatant Indian aggression is a clear violation of existing ceasefire understandings. Pakistan desires peace and tranquillity at its borders, however, all necessary measures will be taken to protect the life and property of our citizens,” the ISPR added.
The military’s media wing also warned India that “any misadventure” against Pakistan “will be befittingly responded at the time and place of our choosing”.
This is the second such incident reported in the last two months along the LoC.
Earlier, in June, two Pakistani civilians were martyred while another was injured as they came under the Indian army fire in the Sattwal Sector from across the LoC.
In a statement, the ISPR said: “The Indian army, in a display of its usual inhumane approach towards innocent Kashmiris, opened indiscriminate fire onto a group of shepherds in the Sattwal Sector.”
Resultantly, it said, one civilian embraced martyrdom, while two others were critically injured.
However, later in an update, the ISPR said the death toll rose to two as another injured in the Indian firing succumbed to injuries.
"In the sequel to Indian Army unprovoked firing today while adopting an inhumane approach towards innocent Kashmiris at Sattwal Sector, one more civilian has embraced shahadat while one remains critically injured," the statement added.
“Driven by a newfound geo-political patronage, Indian forces have embarked on a plan to take innocent lives to satiate their false narratives and concocted allegations,” the military said back then in an indirect reference to a joint statement issued after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Joe Biden.