Indian envoy called again over LoC firing

By Asghar Ali Mubarak

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Friday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register Pakistan’s strong protest over ceasefire violations by the Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nezapir and Rakhchikri Sectors, resulting in serious injuries to six innocent civilians.
14 years old Faiza, 10 years old Seerat, 7 years old Aaiza and their mother Sona Bibi, residents of Degwar Naran village; 44 years old Abdul Majeed resident of Mandhar village; and 22 years old Muhammad Yasir, resident of Kirni village, sustained serious injuries due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces along the restive LoC on May 7.
FO spokesperson Ayesha Farooqui said the Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons. In 2020, India has so far committed 989 ceasefire violations.
Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, the FO 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. 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 Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K).”
The Foreign Office on Friday said it had summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register a strong protest over the Indian ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC).
The statement by the FO said that in the unprovoked Indian firing across the LoC in Nezapir and Rakchikri sectors, six civilians were seriously injured.
“Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces, 14 years old Faiza, 10 years old Seerat, 7 years old Aaiza and their mother Sona Bibi, residents of Degwar Naran village; 44 years old Abdul Majeed resident of Mandhar village; and 22 years old Muhammad Yasir, resident of Kirni village, sustained serious injuries,” the FO statement read.
The FO added that the Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have continuously been targeting civilian areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons.
“In 2020, India has so far committed 989 ceasefire violations,” it maintained. The FO said that the blatant violations of the international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate tension along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security.
“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,” the FO said.
By raising tension along the LoC and WB, India is trying to divert attention from severe human rights violations in Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, noted the FO.
In Thursday’s violation along LoC, 14 year-old Faiza, 10 year-old Seerat, 7 year-old Aaiza and their mother Sona Bibi, 44 year-old Abdul Majeed, resident of Mandhar village, and 22 year-old Muhammad Yasir, resident of Kirni village, sustained serious injuries.