Pakistan summons Indian diplomat to condemn ceasefire violations

Pakistan on Tuesday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to register “strong protest” over ceasefire violations by its forces along the Line of Control (LoC).

The Foreign Office said in a statement that on February 2 (Tuesday) four innocent civilians including three women sustained injuries after Indian occupation forces targeted civilian population across the de facto border.

“Due to the indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Hotspring and Jandrot sectors of the LoC on February 2, 30-year-old Zubina Bukhari w/o Faizan Shah, resident of Tahi Mohra village; 17-year-old Rida Tahir d/o Bahsarat Shah, resident of Tahi Mohra village; 16 years old Ameen Ali s/o Basharat Shah, resident of Tahi Mohra village, and 42-year-old Saleema Begum w/o Muhammad Yaqoob resident of Batali village sustained serious injuries,” the statement added.

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

Read more: Living in the Indian army’s crosshairs

In 2021, the FO said Indian forces have carried out 175 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in serious injuries to eight 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 official statement said.

It was added 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).

The 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.

Islamabad also urged New Delhi 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.