Rifleman’s wife shot in the back, airlifted to hospital, delivers baby

JAMMU: A pregnant woman, who was injured in the attack by heavily armed militants on the family quarters of the Sunjuwan military station in Jammu on Saturday, delivered a baby girl on Sunday.

Rifleman Nazir Ahmed Khan and his 28-week pregnant wife, Shahzada Khan, 24, were injured in firing by the militants and were shifted to the military hospital in the cantonment area, an army official said.

The woman received gunshot injuries in her lower back.

She was airlifted to the military hospital along with her husband. Their premature baby, weighing 2.5kg, was said to be in good health. “Army doctors worked through the night to save the lives of the severely injured pregnant lady with gunshot wounds and through a Caesarean section, delivered a baby girl. Both the mother and the baby are stable,” defence spokesman Lt Col Devender Anand said.

“The doctors had a complicated case on their hands. The lady was hit with a bullet on her hip and was critical. At the same time, the pulse of the child was going down. The doctors had to cure the gunshot wounds and at the same time save the child,” he added.