Foreign Office Wednesday warned that ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation. In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that Director General South Asia and Saarc, Dr Mohammad Faisal summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner and a strong protest was lodged on the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces in Rawalakot/Chirikot Sector on October 04, 2017.
He said that the unprovoked firing resulted in the martyrdom of two civilians namely Kashif Sakhi, 20, and Sakeena Begum, 17, residents of village Chaffer and caused injuries to two others, including a woman.
During the past two weeks, he said that the Indian occupation forces have increasingly targeted civilian areas on the Pakistani side, resulting in the martyrdom of 13 civilians, including six women, and injuries to 39 others, which the director general strongly condemned. Despite calls for restraint, India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations. In 2017 to date, Indian occupation forces have carried out more than 900 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary (WB), resulting in the martyrdom of 45 innocent civilians and injuries to 155 compared to 382 ceasefire violations in 2016.
"The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws. The ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation," he added.
According to him, 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 in spirit and maintain peace on the LoC. He further said that the Indian side was also urged to allow the UNMOGIP to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.