Fear gripped the Daherki area of Ghotki district on Thursday morning after a drone in the border area of Ghotki left a civilian dead and another injured. The officials of Ghotki police revealed that the incident unfolded in the village of Sarfraz Laghari in the Daherki area of Ghotki district within the limits of the Khajjo police station.
"The area where the drone struck is located along the local border of India and Pakistan." Local villagers who reached the site after hearing the explosion said that Mukhtiar Ahmed Leghari and his father, Ahsan Laghari, were working in the field when the incident took place, which left Mukhtiar Laghari dead on the spot and his father, Ahsan, critically injured. The injured man was shifted to a nearby government hospital, where doctors were struggling to save his life.
Following the incident, law enforcement agencies, including police, paramilitary, and military forces, reached the site to evaluate the intensity of the situation. A strong contingent of police and armed forces also started patrolling the area, appealing to residents of nearby areas to remain indoors. It is pertinent to mention here that a strong smell of gunpowder had also engulfed the area, causing irritation to local villagers, especially those facing respiratory issues. The area was cordoned off by the forces until the filing of this report.
The Khajjo area's proximity to the India-Pakistan border has heightened the sensitivity of the incident. Authorities are investigating whether the drone originated from across the border or was locally operated. The incident, which occurred in an agricultural farm, has sparked fear and panic among the local population. The public has called for security agencies to enhance surveillance in border areas to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Separately, locals residing in Umerkot district along their border area reported suspicious activities near the border, besides complaining about a loud, rare noise that had been heard in the locality before. Later in the day the audicious PAF officer shot down a drone near Chor area of Umerkot district. Meanwhile a drone strike was also reported from a remote area of Karachi,s Malir district. Fortunately no causality was reported.