FO again summons Indian diplomat to protest LoC violations

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) Friday once again summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh to protest the unprovoked firing by Indian forces along the Line of Control a day earlier in which a man was martyred.

In a press release, the Foreign Office stated that a civilian, Zafar Iqbal, was martyred while his wife and child were injured when Indian troops fired in Bhimber sector on March 1.

India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations, despite calls for restraint, the statement read.

In 2018, the Indian forces carried out more than 415 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary, resulting in the martyrdom of 20 innocent civilians and injuries to 71 others, it read. This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India has continued from 2017 when Indian forces committed 1,970 ceasefire violations.

“The deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws,” the statement read. “The ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation.”

The Foreign Office, therefore, urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and Working Boundary.