Driver martyred as Indian troops target school van along LoC

ISLAMABAD: The Indian troops on Thursday targeted a van carrying schoolchildren in the Battal sector, in violation of the Geneva Convention and ceasefire understanding.

The van driver embraced Shahadat, the Inter-Services Public Relations Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor said in a tweet. He said India’s unethical and unprofessional approach across the Line of Control (LOC) continued to terrorise civilians.

Meanwhile, Haleema Shaheen, a second year student of the Government Degree College who was on board the van, described the Indian terror. Initially, the student said, she thought that the shots had just hit the van, but shortly saw the uncle (driver) bleeding.

She said all students started crying for help, and the injured was shifted to a nearby hospital but he could not survive. Haleema said they were going home from Battal after attending the college when the van came under fire of the Indian troops.

The Foreign Office summoned the Indian deputy high commissioner and lodged a strong protest against the LoC violation.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday strongly condemned the targeting of a school van by the Indian security forces across the Line of Control (LoC), which resulted in the martyrdom of the van driver.

He said such unprovoked and unethical acts had exposed the real face of India, which continued to violate the Geneva Convention by targeting innocent schoolchildren. He prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and grant of courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude.