The Foreign Office on Thursday summoned Indian Chargé d’Affaires to register Pakistan’s strong protest over ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC), resulting in the death of a civilian.
Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri said Indian troops along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons. This year, he added, India has committed 2,840 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in the martyrdom of 27 people and serious injuries to 245 innocent civilians.
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.
“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,” the spokesperson pointed out. He added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK).
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.