GILGIT: A 14-year-old boy was killed while his father and sister were injured when a toy bomb exploded in Harghosal village of Kharmang district of Gilgit-Baltistan, adjacent to Kargil, the Line of Control (LoC) between Pakistan and India.

SP Kharmang district of Gilgit-Baltistan, told Dawn that the boy Faisal his father and sister, resident of Harghosal village in Kharmang district, had gone to nearby nallah to graze their cattle.

Kharmang SP said that Faisal picked the toy bomb to play with it assuming it was a toy and it suddenly exploded.

The boy died on the spot while his father and sister sustained minor injuries.

Kharmang SP said police and district administration has visited the scene and inspected the area to investigate the incident.

He said police didn’t get anything to send for forensics.

In the past, about six incidents of explosion of toy bombs occurred near the line of control between Pakistan and India in Kharmang district in which many children were injured.

Indian-controlled Kargil and and Kharmang border is the control line between Pakistan and India.

According to the local people, during the 1999 Kargil war, a large number of toy bombs were dropped by Indian Army in Kharmang jurisdiction, which resulted in many such incidents.

Two and a half years ago, such an incident took place in Harghosal as a result of which two children were injured.

Local people of the area said that the government should take steps to deal with such incidents in future.

They also protested with India for such inhuman activities and demanded government to take the issue at international level to expose Indian atrocities.

The conditions of the injured father and sister of the deceased said to be stable while body of the deceased buried in his native village Harghosal in presence of government officials, religious scholars and a large number of local people.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2024