Old woman martyred, three citizens hurt in Indian firing at LoC

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday condemned the unprovoked Indian ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC), terming the same a threat to regional peace and security, which might lead to a strategic miscalculation.Director General (South Asia & Saarc) Dr Mohammad Faisal summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia again on Tuesday and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the LoC on October 6 and 7, a Foreign Office statement said.

Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian army in Chirikot Sector of LoC, an old lady Nazira Begum wife of Muhammad Hussain, aged 69 years, embraced Shahadat (martyrdom), while three other civilians, Manzoor son of Ashraf, aged 43 years, Jamil son of Misri, aged 40 years, and Mushtaq son of Ghulam Muhammad, aged 46 years, residents of Kakuta village sustained serious injuries. The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and Working Boundary have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars, and automatic weapons, which still continues.

This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from the year 2017 when the Indian forces committed 1970 ceasefire violations.

The deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas was indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws. The Director General (SA & Saarc) urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement; investigate these 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. He urged the Indian side to permit the UNMOGIP (United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Meanwhile, In Indian Held Kashmir (IHK), life remains badly hit in the Kashmir valley and Muslim majority areas of Jammu region, as military clampdown coupled with communications blackout entered 65th running day on Tuesday. According to Kashmir Media Service, with main markets shut and public transport off the roads since August 5, the people in the territory are facing shortages of essential items including food and medicines. Educational institutions and offices though open yet barring few officials nobody is showing up there. The authorities have been claiming that the offices are running and attendance of students is slowly picking up, but these claims don’t hold merit in the face of facts which are quite the opposite.

National Conference President Farooq Abdullah has demanded unconditional release of all those detained or arrested since August 5. As per a party spokesman, this was told by the NC president to a 15-member delegation who met him on Sunday in Srinagar first time since his detention.

Faizan Mustafa, the VC of NALSAR University of Law in Hyderabad, has argued during a lecture in Madras that the BJP government had done a mistake by abrogating Art 370 in Kashmir. Pointing out many legal implications of the issue, he opined that it is not a matter of integration, adding the problems of the territory can’t be resolved by imposing the rule and restrictions like this.

Meanwhile, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred a Kashmiri youth in Pulwama district on Tuesday.

The tw3o youth were martyred by Indian troops during a cordon and search operation in Awantipora area of the district. The operation was going on till last reports came in.

Meanwhile violent cordon and search operations are going for the past 12 days in Ganderbal, Bandipore, Kupwara, Baramulla, Srinagar, Islamabad, Kulgam, Shopian, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar and several other towns and areas of the territory.