Woman martyred in Indian firing along LoC

Pakistan lodges protest with India over civilian casualties in cross-border firing

ISLAMABAD: Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh was summoned by Foreign Office on Thursday to lodge protest over the Indian firing along the Line of Control (LoC) which led to the martyrdom of a civilian.

The victim who has been identified as Nusrat Bibi, 35, in the Ghasla village.

“The Indian forces along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary are continuously targeting civilian populated areas with heavy weapons. In 2018, the Indian forces have carried out more than 1,400 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, resulting in the shahadats of 30 innocent civilians, while injuring 121 others. This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from 2017 when the Indian forces committed 1970 ceasefire violations),” Foreign Office said in a statement.



It said 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.

The Director General (SA & SAARC) urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire arrangement; investigate this 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.