Indian diplomat summoned over ceasefire breach

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office summoned on Wednesday the Indian Charge d’affaires to register Pakistan’s strong protest over ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC).

50-year-old Khadeeja, a resident of Grid Janubi village, was martyred and 16-year-old Samar, a resident of Grid Janubi village, 18-year-old Aneela Kausar, a resident of Barmoch village and 4-yeart-old Muhammad Seemab, a resident of Tanoon village, sustained serious injuries due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by Indian forces in Hotspring and Jandrot Sectors of the LoC on the 22th of December.

Spokesperson Zahid Hafiz Chaudhri said 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. In 2020, he added, the Indian forces have carried out 3012 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 28 martyrdoms and serious injuries to 253 innocent civilians.

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. 0

“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 spokesperson said, adding that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK).

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 the 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.