Pakistan summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia again on Tuesday and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on 6th & 7th October 2019, Foreign Office said. According to a statement of the Foreign Office, the Director General South Asia and SAARC, Dr Mohammad Faisal summoned the top Indian diplomat and lodged with him a strong protest.

Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by Indian army in Chirikot Sector of LoC on 6th & 7th October 2019, an old lady Nazira Begum w/o Muhammad Hussain, aged 69 years, resident of village Kakuta, embraced Shahadat (martyrdom), while three other civilians, Manzoor s/o Ashraf aged 43 years, Jamil s/o Misri aged 40 years and Mushtaq s/o Ghulam Muhammad aged 46 years, residents of village Kakuta, sustained serious injuries.

The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and Working boundary have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars, and automatic weapons, which still continues. This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India has been continuing since the year 2017 when the Indian forces committed 1,970 ceasefire violations.

The deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, 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. The Director General (SA & SAARC) urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement; investigate these 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.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019