India deliberately targeting civilians along LoC, Defence Minister tells NA

ISLAMABAD: A total of 66 civilians embraced Shahadat and 228 sustained injuries due to Cease Fire Violations (CFVs) committed by Indian forces since in last five years (Jan 1, 2013 to date), Minister for Defence Khurram Dastgir Khan told National Assembly.

Answering the question of Shamas-un-Nisa during question hour in the National Assembly, the Defence Minister said as many as 1,394 ceasefire violations along Line of Control have been committed by Indian Army since Jan 1, 2017 to date.

Dastgir Indian Army is deliberately targeting civilians along Line of Control (LoC).

Pakistan Army is responding in a befitting manner and is taking all necessary safeguards to protect the life and property of the citizens.

On Tuesday, Dastgir had said that Pakistan would pay India in its own coin incase of any Indian misadventure.

“Any Indian aggression, strategic miscalculation, or misadventure regardless of its scale, mode, or location will not go unpunished and shall be met with an equal and proportionate response. We will defend robustly every inch of Pakistan’s soil,” the minister said in a statement.

He said that instead of the knee-jerk reaction of blaming Pakistan without substantiation, India must answer for state-sponsored espionage against Pakistan.

He said living evidence in person of Kulbushan Yadev was in front of the world.

He said India had failed to deliver justice to the 42 Pakistanis, who were murdered in the Samjhota Express terrorism eleven years ago.

“India is destabilizing regional peace in word and deed; through irresponsible statements on nuclear deterrent and through its bloody, five-fold escalation in 2017 of attacks on unarmed civilians on the line-of-control and working boundary,” he said.

He said Armed Forces of Pakistan were alive to all possibilities, and prepared fully to defend country's territorial integrity.

“Backed fully by the Pakistani people, our forces are vigilant on land, sea, and air.“