Indian envoy summoned to slam ceasefire violations

By News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Director General (South Asia & SAARC) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Mohammad Faisal on Sunday summoned the Indian Chargé d’affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by India along the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday and Sunday.

“Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by Indian occupation forces, including use of heavy artillery, five innocent civilians, Muhammad Rafaqat s/o Haji Azam aged 28 years, Haji Azam aged 60 years, Haji Sarfaraz s/o Ghulam Rabbani aged 47 years, residents of Village Nausadda and two non-resident civilian labourers Mr Liaqat and Mr Faisal, embraced Shahadat, while six others, including women and children, sustained serious injuries,” the Foreign Office said.

The Indian forces have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas along the LoC and Working Boundary with artillery fire, heavy calibre mortars, and automatic weapons. This escalation in ceasefire violations by India has been continuing since 2017. Pakistan categorically rejects Indian media reports about so-called “launchpads” being targeted by India along the LoC.

Highlighting Indian threat to regional peace and security, Pakistan called upon the P5 to ask India to provide information about the so-called alleged “launchpads” and expressed its willingness to arrange a visit of P5 diplomats to those locations to expose Indian falsehood.

Heinous Indian targeting of civilians was a typical attempt by India to divert international attention from humanitarian nightmare in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, a Foreign Office spokesman said.

The deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas was indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws.

The ceasefire violations by India were a threat to regional peace and security and might lead to a strategic miscalculation, he added.

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 that the Indian side should permit UNMOGIP to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council Resolutions.