Ceasefire violation: Pakistan lodges protest with UN military observers

Fresh visa row erupts between Islamabad and New Delhi

MIRPUR/ RAWALPINDI:

Pakistan Army on Friday registered India’s ceasefire violations with the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) as unprovoked Indian shelling from across the Line of Control (LoC) killed another Pakistani civilian.

According to the military’s media wing, the ISPR, Pakistan Army highlighted the Indian use of heavy mortars and machine guns on civil population living along the Working Boundary (WB) and the LoC.

It also asked the UNMOGIP to use its good offices to investigate Indian ceasefire violations.

Meanwhile, a senior civil administration officer of Haveili told APP that the Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing in violation of ceasefire in Naiza Pir Sector at 1:00 am on Friday.

As a result of the firing, which continued intermittently for about three hours, an 18-year-old girl, Zareena Bibi, daughter of Muhammad Sadiq Gujjar, was killed.

Later, the Pakistani troops appropriately retaliated to the Indian firing, the official added.

The girl was the fourth Pakistani civilian killed by the Indian shelling in the last two days. A day earlier, three Pakistanis were killed and five others sustained injuries due to Indian firing along the WB and the LoC.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Foreign Office had summoned Indian High Commissioner Dr T C A Raghavan and registered a strong protest with him over violation of Pakistani airspace by an Indian drone.

Visa row erupts

The two countries are also embroiled in a visa war. Both countries have accused each other of not issuing assignment visas to their diplomats and officials.

India maintains that Pakistan has not issued visas to its 12 officials including a naval attache, Pakistan has denied the charge.

A Pakistani source told the Press Trust of India, “It is, unfortunately, the Indian side which links issuance of visa to everything else. Pakistan has recently issued several assignment visas to Indian officials but none were issued by India. Visas to our diplomats and officials including air and naval attaches are stuck with India now for many months.”

But sources in the government say that all Pakistani officials except five have been granted their visas, the remaining are stuck due to some issues.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 18^th, 2015.