ISLAMABAD: Pakistan summoned a senior Indian diplomat on Saturday to the Foreign Office and lodged a strong protest over the ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on 14th Aug, resulting in serious injuries to one innocent civilian.

Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Dhudhnial Sector of the LoC, the Foreign Office said three-year-old Zulekha daughter of Mushtaq, resident of village Tejian, sustained serious injuries.

The Indian occupation forces 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, India has committed more than 1,980 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 16 martyrdoms and serious injuries to 161 innocent civilians, it added.

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 Foreign Office said, adding that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India could not divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

It stated that 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 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, it added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020