Four youths were killed when a landmine that had drifted from the Indian side blew up near the Line of Control in Poonch, according to the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The DGPR said all four died at the scene.
The victims were named as Faizan Sagheer, Ishtiaq, Asim Rafiq and Waqas Sharif. Initial reports indicated that the men were carrying out their usual daily work, repairing a water pipeline at a spring near the Mahandlah and Madarpur villages, when the explosion happened.
Mourning spreads through Poonch villages
The deaths have plunged the area into mourning, and local residents have voiced deep sorrow over the loss of the young men.
Drifting mines pose ongoing danger to residents
The DGPR warned that people and livestock living near the LoC remain exposed to danger. It pointed to the rugged terrain, unclear border demarcation and landmines drifting across from the Indian side as the reasons.
Foreign Office condemns BSF killings of civilians
Earlier this month, two Pakistani civilians were killed by Indian Border Security Force personnel in the Bedian Sector along the International Border. The Foreign Office said the troops used unprovoked lethal force against unarmed people, calling the action wholly unjustified and grossly disproportionate.
The Indian Charge d’Affaires was later summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to register Pakistan’s strong protest over the killings.
