25 Civilians killed, 162 Hurt in Pak shelling in 2 Years: Mehbooba Mufti

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday disclosed that 25 civilians were killed and 162 injured in firing and shelling by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) and International Border (IB) in the past two years.
She said 224 structures, including two mosques, had suffered damage in shelling along the LoC and the IB during the period. At least 94 terrorists were gunned down and three were arrested along the border and the LoC in the last two years.
Five districts of the Jammu province — Jammu, Samba, Kathua, Rajouri and Poonch — and three districts of the Kashmir province — Bandipora, Baramulla and Kupwara — were affected due to the Pakistan firing and shelling.
“At least 13 persons were killed and 83 injured in 2016, while 12 lost their lives and 79 sustained injuries in Pakistan shelling in 2017,” said the CM, who holds the charge of the Home department, in a written reply to a question of BJP legislator Rajesh Gupta in the Assembly today.
She said 35 terrorists were killed on the LoC and IB in 2016, while the number of terrorists gunned down in 2017 was 59. “Three terrorists were arrested in 2016,” she said.
The CM said Rs 23 lakh (ex gratia) had been paid to the next of kin of 23 of the 25 civilians killed in the last two years. Besides, an ex gratia of Rs 6.2 lakh has been paid to 110 injured persons, while an amount of Rs 43.66 lakh has been disbursed on account of damage to the properties (165 houses) due to the border shelling in Jammu division.