Soldier among two martyred in Indian firing

ISLAMABAD: The Indian Army resorted to unprovoked fire in Baroh and Tandar sectors along the Line of Control (LoC) targeting civilian population on Tuesday.

According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a 15-year-old boy, resident of village Baroh, embraced Shahadat, while four civilians, including a woman and 80-year-old male, resident of village Kartan, Tandar Sector, got injured in the Indian firing.

The ISPR said the Pakistan Army troops responded and targeted those posts which initiated the fire. It said reports of substantialdamage to Indian posts in men and material have been received. “In intense exchange of fire, Sepoy Shafique fighting valiantly embraced Shahadat,” the ISPR added.

APP adds: India’s Charge’d Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to register Pakistan’s strong protest over ceasefire violations by Indian security forces at the LoC.

"Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts are in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and are also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

"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 said. It was added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the Working Boundary, India could not divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu & 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.

The Indian side 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.

The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the WB have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-calibre mortars and automatic weapons. This year, India has committed 2,387 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 19 martyrdoms and serious injuries to 191 civilians.