ISLAMABAD: At least 31 people were killed and 123 injured in the last four days due to cross-border firing by Indian forces, Pakistan-administered Kashmir’s disaster management authority said on Sunday.
Indian and Pakistani troops have exchanged heavy fire along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border dividing the disputed Himalayan Kashmir territory between India and Pakistan, since tensions escalated last month.
Tensions surged between the nuclear-armed neighbors this week when India fired missiles at what it said were “terrorist” camps in Pakistan, killing several people. New Delhi blamed Islamabad for an Apr. 22 attack at a tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26, charges that Islamabad denied. Pakistan said Indian strikes on Wednesday killed several civilians, vowing retaliation.
Pakistan’s military launched retaliatory strikes against India on Saturday morning in response to what it said were drone and missile strikes on Pakistani air bases during the wee hours of Friday. Both countries have since then agreed to a ceasefire brokered by the United States and encouraged by other countries.
“Thirty-one people were killed in Azad Kashmir’s ten districts during the last four days during the India-Pakistan war,” Azad Kashmir’s State Disaster Management Authority said in a situation report.
Giving a breakdown of the figures, the report said 11 people were killed in Kotli district while six each died in districts Bhimber and Poonch. Three people were killed in Muzaffarabad district while two were killed in Neelum.
The report said 287 houses and 21 shops were damaged due to shelling in the past four days while 22 cattle were killed.
Within hours of the ceasefire announcement on Saturday, India accused Islamabad of violating it by targeting Srinagar city in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Ata Tarar denied the allegation, saying people in his country were celebrating the end of the conflict and the government remained committed to the agreement.
The foreign office of Pakistan also maintained the country remained committed to the “faithful implementation” of the ceasefire.
