MIRPUR (AJK) - A Pakistani soldier was killed in unprovoked firing by Indian forces in yet another ceasefire violation at the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Bhimber district, prompting Pakistani troops to retaliate, an AJK government’s official statement said on Wednesday.
Quoting a press release of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of Pakistan Army, the official statement said that sepoy Zaheer Ahmed embraced Shahadat in Thub sector along the LoC due to Indian firing.
The martyred soldiers, the ISPR press release added, belonged to village Sultanpur, Tehsil and district Bhimber of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He was survived by a widow, the hand out said adding, that Pakistan Army troops retaliated effectively and engaged enemy’s posts involved in unprovoked firing.
President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan and Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider Khan strongly condemned the Indian shelling.
Paying tributes to the martyred Pakistani soldier, they said that it was extremely unfortunate that Indian forces were continuously violating ceasefire agreement at LoC. They said the Indian forces were escalating tension on LoC only to detract the world’s attention from the human rights violations in the Indian-occupied Kashmir.
AJK President Sardar Muhammad Masood Khan said India’s cowardly acts at LoC could not dampen the spirit of Kashmiri people for the freedom of their motherland from Indian occupation.
Paying tributes to the armed forces for defending frontiers of the country, president said Indian occupation forces were acting out of frustration due to their failure to face the unprecedented resistance put up by the courageous people of occupied Kashmir.
Prime Minister of AJK Raja Farooq Haider Khan strongly condemned the Indian firing and martyrdom of a Pak Army soldier in Bhimber sector of AJK and said people of AJK felt proud of the sacrifices rendered by Pak Army in defending the territory against the onslaught by India.
Saying that enemy could not cast an evil eye on AJK, the premier said if needed people of AJK would fight alongside their valiant forces.