Pakistan summoned top Indian deputy high commissioner and lodged protest with him over the deliberate targeting of a school van carrying schoolchildren on Thursday that resulted in martyrdom of the driver. According to a Foreign Office statement, Director General South Asia and SAARC, Dr Mohammad Faisal summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control on February 15, 2018 in Battal Sector.
"The Indian occupation forces deliberately targeted a school van carrying schoolchildren on Battal-Madharpur Road, resulting in martyrdom of the driver of van, Sarfaraz Ahmed, leaving the schoolchildren severely traumatized," it stated. Despite calls for restraint, India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations, it stated, adding in 2018, the Indian forces have carried out more than 335 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary, resulting in martyrdom of 14 innocent civilians and injuries to 65 others.
This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India has been continuing from the year 2017 when the Indian forces committed more than 1970 ceasefire violations, it added. "The deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws," it said, adding the ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation.
According to the statement, the director general urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire arrangement, investigate this 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.
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