LoC truce violations

Even at a time when the world is focused on saving lives amid the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, the Indian government is finding time to murder children. A two-year-old boy embraced martyrdom and at least four other civilians were injured as Indian troops continued to target residential areas across the Line of Control (LoC) on Monday. The toddler, Muhammad Haseeb, was martyred in the Dhudnial sector and injuries to the other civilians came in Baroh, Rakhchikri and Chirikot sectors in “total disregard to ceasefire agreements and international conventions”, says the ISPR. On Sunday also, the Indian troops had targeted civilian positions along the LoC and the Working Boundary. The Indian troops have committed more than 700 ceasefire violations this year, causing multiple deaths and injuries to civilians residing near the heavily militarised border area.

Not content with its reign of terror over the people of Occupied Kashmir, the Indian regime continues to rain terror on the people of Azad Kashmir. This, apparently, is how they win hearts and minds to lay claim to the disputed territory. And while the Pakistan Army responded “effectively with matching calibre targeting those Indian Army posts which initiated fire”, according to the ISPR, India just keeps attacking civilians.

At some point, this lobbing of mortars at civilians needs to end. India claims that Kashmir is entirely theirs. Let us leave aside the Kashmir dispute and look at this from an Indian perspective for a moment and ask which civilised country bombs its own civilians. Even in war — in fact, even in a civil war — professional armies make it a point to actively avoid attacking civilians. That is actually what terrorists do. Every time India kills a civilian, we must ask: is a khaki uniform the only difference between an Indian soldier and a terrorist? 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2020.

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