Spokesperson of the Foreign Office Dr Mohammad Faisal on Wednesday summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia to record Pakistan’s protest over the “unprovoked ceasefire violations” along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary by Indian forces, which have resulted in the killing of two civilians.
According to a press statement issued by the foreign ministry, a 12-year-old boy was killed and an 18-year-old girl sustained serious injuries on July 22 from unprovoked attacks by Indian forces in the Bagsar sector along the restive LoC.
Indian forces also launched multiple unprovoked attacks on July 23 in the Hotspring, Jandrot and Banchirian sectors along the LoC. A lady, Jan Bibi, was killed, while two other civilians, Naseem and Parveen Bibi, were wounded in the Hotspring sector. In Banchirian, another civilian, Khalid, sustained serious injuries, the statement said.
The press release said that Indian forces deployed along the LoC are continuously targeting civilian populated areas with heavy weapons, which is in violation of the 2003 ceasefire agreement.
“This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from the year 2017, when the Indian forces committed 1,970 ceasefire violations,” the statement said.
The Foreign Office termed the “deliberate targeting” of civilians as “deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws” and cautioned that the constant violations by the Indian forces “may lead to a strategic miscalculation”.
Dr Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire agreement. He asked them to investigate these as well as other incidents and to instruct Indian forces to respect the ceasefire “in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary”.
The Foreign Office spokesperson also urged the Indian side to allow the United Nations Military Observers Mission for India and Pakistan to play its mandated role as per United Nations Security Council resolutions.
