Cross-border firing: Bus attack toll rises to 11

MIRPUR: The toll in the cross-border firing on a bus in Neelam valley earlier this week rose to 11 on Friday after another injured victim succumbed to his injuries, officials said.

Mohammad Shafi, who had suffered serious injuries in the unprovoked attack, died at Combined Military Hospital in Muzaffarabad today, sources told APP on Friday.

Shafi, a local resident, was injured when Indian forces opened fire on the Neelam Valley road. The attack had claimed 10 lives while seven people, including Shafi, suffered serious injuries. They had been rushed to CMH for treatment. Indian troops kept targeting vehicles along that road, including ambulances which arrived to evacuate the injured. The continued firing on the road forced officials to shut down the route.

The ground link to Neelam Valley –located along the Line of Control – has however been restored for light traffic through an alternative route.

Local administration officials have said that the main Neelam Valley highway would remain closed for all traffic.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 26^th, 2016.