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10 civilians martyred as Indian forces attack bus in Neelum Valley

10 civilians martyred as Indian forces attack bus in Neelum Valley
November 23, 2016
RAWALPINDI (92 News) – At least 10 people were martyred and several others injured when Indian border forces targeted a passenger bus near Line of Control (LoC) in Neelum valley on Wednesday. In a statement issued by the ISPR, the bus has been targeted in Dhudnial near Neelum Valley on the Line of Control (LoC). India continued its unprovoked firing and shelling on all sectors along the Line of Control including Shah Kot, Jura, Buttal, Kairla, Bagh, Tatta Pani, Neelum Vally and Keran sectors. "Indian troops targetted a civil Bus near LoC (the Line of Control) in Neelam (sic) valley, killing 10 persons and injuring several others," the military said. Pakistani troops effectively responded to the Indian firing silencing their guns. Azad Jammu and Kashmi Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider has strongly condemned the firing on bus by the Indian troops and termed it as extreme cowardness. In a statement, he said Indian troops are targeting the innocent civilians along Line of Control and urged the international community to take notice of it. Pakistan summoned an Indian diplomat yesterday over the cross-LoC attack, according to the foreign ministry. Escalation between Pakistan and India along the LoC and the working boundary has been seen since suspected militants attacked an army base in the Indian-controlled Kashmir in September. The attack had killed 19 soldiers. Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire along the LoC and working boundary in 2003. However, firing exchanges do take place time to time and the cross-LoC firing and shelling has increased in recent days. Both countries accused each other for the ceasefire violations. Pakistan and India have fought three wars, two over Kashmir, since their independence in 1947 from the British colonial rule. Tensions between the nuclear arch rival reached dangerous levels in September, after India blamed Pakistani for a raid on an army base that killed 19 soldiers. India said it had responded by carrying out "surgical strikes" across the border, while Islamabad denied the strikes took place. There have since been repeated outbreaks of cross-border firing, with both sides reporting deaths and injuries including of civilians.