Pakistan summoned Indian Charge d'Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia again on Friday over the continued ceasefire violations and targeting of civilian population by India troops and lodged with him a strong protest.

According to a Foreign Office statement, Director General South Asia and SAARC, Dr Mohammad Faisal summoned the Indian Charge d'Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Shahkot and Khuiratta Sectors on October 24, 2019.

Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by Indian Army, three innocent civilians, Ilm Din s/o Zulfiqar, Gul Zarin s/o Ilm Din and Sultan s/o Gul Zarin, residents of village Lala, tehsil Athmaqam, district Neelum, embraced martyrdom, while one child Iqra d/o Muhammad Aftab, age 4 years, resident of village Jugalpur, tehsil & district Khuiratta, 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 1970 ceasefire violations, it added.

It stated that 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, it added.

Dr Faisal 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. He urged that the Indian side should permit UNMOGIP to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019