India opens fire along LoC only in response to 'incursion' by Pakistan: Swaraj

Khawaja Asif had asked India to end ceasefire violations and allow UNMOGIP to monitor the border

Displaying stubbornness on the issue of ceasefire violations at the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary, India has said that its forces only open fire in response to 'incursion' by the Pakistani side.

Foreign Office spokesperson Mohammad Faisal confirmed receiving a letter by India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Saturday, written in response to a protest letter penned by Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif last month.

“India only opens fire only in response to the incursion,” Swaraj wrote in the letter, according to Express News.

Asif had asked India to end violating the 2003 ceasefire agreement between the two countries and allow United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to monitor the border.

Pakistan has asked India several times to allow UNMOGIP monitor the border; however, India never allowed full access of its side of the fence to the international observers, said the FO spokesperson.

The ceasefire agreement has been breached by India on more than 1,300 – highest in 15 years – occasions this year alone, said Faisal.

At least 52 Pakistani civilians have martyred and 175 others injured because of the violations.