Indian envoy summoned over LoC ceasefire violations

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Wednesday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia to lodge a protest over the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday and Tuesday.

Dr Mohammad Faisal, Director General South Asia and SAARC, urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate the incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary.

“The ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation,” he told the Indian deputy high commissioner. He urged that the Indian side should permit UNMOGIP to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

The Indian deputy high commissioner was told that deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas was “deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws”.

On Monday, a 12-year-old was martyred and 18-year-old sustained serious injuries in Bagsar Sector along the LoC. The next in the Hotspring, Jandrot and Banchirian sectors, an innocent civilian woman was martyred while three civilians from the Hot Spring and Banchirian sectors sustained serious injuries.

The Indian forces along the LoC and the Working boundary are continuously targeting civilian populated areas with heavy weapons. This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from 2017 when the Indian forces committed 1,970 ceasefire violations.

Speaking to a private news channel later, the Foreign Office spokesman invited the Indian government to hold a peaceful dialogue to resolve the Kashmir dispute according to the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. He said Pakistan has consistently been raising the issue at all international forums to highlight the plight of the oppressed Kashmiri people.

He said Prime Minister Imran Khan, during his visit to the United States, strongly advocated the importance of resolving all outstanding issues, including Kashmir.

He said Pakistan would keep up its struggle for the restoration of Kashmiris’ rights at all national and international forums “until the bloodshed comes to an end in Kashmir Valley and the people get their due rights”.

He said the whole world was aware of the miseries of the Kashmiris. If India accepted the Kashmiris’ right to self determination, nothing could deter peaceful relations between the two countries, he added.

He said: “Islamabad believes in peaceful ties with all its neighbours. India must revisit its policies regarding Kashmir and stop committing atrocities on the poor Kashmiris in occupied Kashmir territory.” He further said the world has realised that peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute is imperative for regional peace. “There is a great paradigm shift in the US policies regarding Pakistan and we have seen a changed mindset of the Trump administration in this regard,” he added.