Civilian martyred in Indian firing on LoC

ISLAMABAD: Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh was summoned to Foreign Office Thursday and a strong protest was lodged over unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) Thursday in Leepa Sector, resulting in martyrdom of one innocent civilian in Bijildar village.

In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said the Indian forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary are continuously targeting civilian populated areas with heavy weapons.

He said the Indian forces have so far carried out over 2300 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary this year, resulting in martyrdom of 34 innocent civilians and injuries to 135 others.

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

The Spokesperson said the Indian side was urged 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 the Working Boundary.