ISLAMABAD: Four Pakistani youths were martyred when a landmine that had swept into Pakistan from the Indian side accidentally exploded in the village of Mahandlah Madarpur, near the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
According to initial reports, the four men had gone to repair a water pipeline connected to a nearby spring. The landmine exploded shortly after they arrived, killing all of them on the spot, Azad Jammu and Kashmir’s Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) said.
The victims have been identified as Faizan Saghir, Ishtiaq, Asim Rafiq, and Waqas Sharif. Their bodies were shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Hajira, the AJK DGPR said.
The tragedy plunged the area into mourning, with residents expressing deep sorrow over the loss of four young lives.
Four youths have been martyred in an accidental landmine explosion in Mandla Madarpur village near the Line of Control in Poonch
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It is worth noting that the terrain near the Line of Control, the lack of clearly defined borders, and the threat of landmines being swept away from the Indian side pose serious threats to civilians and livestock, often resulting in the tragic loss of precious human lives.
Pakistan on Friday strongly rejected India’s latest map incorporating Jammu and Kashmir into its territory and warned that any unilateral action in violation of international law could not deprive the Kashmiri people of their right to self-determination.
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Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan, addressing his weekly media briefing, said Pakistan firmly rejected India’s attempt to portray Jammu and Kashmir as part of its territory through a newly issued map, stressing that such unilateral measures had no legal basis and could not alter the internationally recognised status of the disputed territory.
He reiterated that the people of Jammu and Kashmir could not be stripped of their right to self-determination through unilateral actions and called for respect for international law.
