Staff Reporter
Islamabad
The Foreign Office on Monday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register Pakistan’s “strong protest” at the ceasefire violations along the line of control (LoC) after the military said five civilians were injured by Indian firing in Nikial sector.
The Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) said on Monday that three minor boys and two women were injured by “unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian Army troops” along the LoC in Nikial sector on Sunday night.
It added that Pakistani troops “responded effectively to Indian firing”.
The Foreign Office in its statement said that due to “indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces on July 5, 10-year-old Junaid, 7-year-old Aryan, 70-year-old Jahan Begum, 50-year-old Zubaida Bibi and 15-year-old Kamran Shafique sustained serious injuries”.
The statement added that India had committed 1,595 ceasefire violations since the start of this year, which had resulted in 14 deaths and serious injuries to 121 people.
“The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons,” the statement said.
“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 added that India “cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation” in occupied Kashmir by raising tensions across the LoC. The FO urged India to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding and to “maintain peace along the LoC” along with investigating all such violations. It also called upon India to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its role according to UN resolutions.
Last week, four people, including a minor boy, were injured in heavy Indian shelling in two valleys of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
Apart from the casualties, three shops and two houses were also destroyed by the shelling.
