FO summons Indian envoy to protest ceasefire violations

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Saturday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register a strong protest over the ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on August 14.

Owing to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Dhudhnial Sector of the LoC, three-year-old Zulekha, daughter of Mushtaq, a resident of Village Tejian, sustained serious injuries.

According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, the Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) had been continuously targeting the civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars, and automatic weapons.

This year, India has committed more than 1980 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in the martyrdom of 16 people and causing serious injuries to 161 innocent civilians. Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts were in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and were against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct.

These egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security.

It was added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India could not divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K).

The Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB.

India was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.