The Foreign Office (FO) on Wednesday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) J.P. Singh to protest "unprovoked ceasefire violations" by India that had resulted in a death yesterday.

The Director General (DG) South Asia, Dr Mohammad Faisal, condemned the death of an elderly woman in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) as a result of cross-border firing by an Indian soldier.

"Despite calls for restraint, India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations," the FO statement on the matter said.

The statement noted that India has been responsible for over 1,300 ceasefire violations so far in 2017 across the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary, which have resulted in the deaths of 50 innocent civilians and injuries to 165. There had been only 382 ceasefire violations in 2016.

"The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws," the FO said, terming the violations by India a threat to regional peace and security.

Dr Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Agreement and to maintain peace along the LoC. He asked them to investigate this and other reported violations, and urged the Indian side to permit the United Nations Military Observers group in India and Pakistan to play the role mandated under the UN Security Council resolutions.

Opinion

Editorial

Digital growth
Updated 25 Apr, 2024

Digital growth

Democratising digital development will catalyse a rapid, if not immediate, improvement in human development indicators for the underserved segments of the Pakistani citizenry.
Nikah rights
25 Apr, 2024

Nikah rights

THE Supreme Court recently delivered a judgement championing the rights of women within a marriage. The ruling...
Campus crackdowns
25 Apr, 2024

Campus crackdowns

WHILE most Western governments have either been gladly facilitating Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, or meekly...
Ties with Tehran
Updated 24 Apr, 2024

Ties with Tehran

Tomorrow, if ties between Washington and Beijing nosedive, and the US asks Pakistan to reconsider CPEC, will we comply?
Working together
24 Apr, 2024

Working together

PAKISTAN’S democracy seems adrift, and no one understands this better than our politicians. The system has gone...
Farmers’ anxiety
24 Apr, 2024

Farmers’ anxiety

WHEAT prices in Punjab have plummeted far below the minimum support price owing to a bumper harvest, reckless...