Pakistan summons Indian diplomat to register protest over ceasefire violation

Foreign Office says India has committed 2,199 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 17 martyrdoms

Pakistan has summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register strong protest over ceasefire violations by Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on the night of 8th September, resulting in serious injuries to three innocent civilians.

"Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Bedori Sector of the LoC, 57-year-old Muhammad Altaf s/o Muhammad Din, 27-year-old Muhammad Aftab s/o Muhammad Altaf and 40-year-old Tahir Iqbal s/o Muhammad Azam, residents of Banjori village, sustained serious injuries," a statement issued by the to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFa) said on Thursday.

It added that the Indian occupation troops along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-calibre mortars and automatic weapons.

"This year, India has committed 2,199 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 17 shahadats (martyrdoms) and serious injuries to 171 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.

"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 statement said.

It also said 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 and Kashmir (IIOJK).

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.