Indian Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) J.P. Singh was summoned by the Foreign Office (FO) once again on Monday over "unprovoked" ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on July 21, which had resulted in the death of a 12-year-old boy and injuries to three others.

The Director General of South Asia and Saarc, Dr Mohammad Faisal, lodged a formal protest for violations in the Leepa Sector in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. In a statement, the FO said that the "deliberate targeting of civilians is [...] deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws."

The FO also urged the Indian forces to respect the 2003 ceasefire agreement in letter and spirit and maintain peace along the LoC. He also demanded an investigation into the latest violation as well as all other incidents of a similar nature in the recent past.

He insisted that the Indian side should permit the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan to play its mandated role as per UN Security Council resolutions.

This is the third ceasefire violation by the Indian forces in the past four days. Earlier this month, the Indian DHC was summoned by the FO twice for ceasefire violations, yet attacks have continued. Both soldiers and civilians have been targeted.

Earlier this year, in June, during a National Assembly Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs meeting, the director general of the Disaster Management Authority had said that unprovoked firing by Indian forces across the LoC has taken 832 lives, while 3,000 people have been injured and 3,300 houses have been damaged.

Opinion

Editorial

Fixing bond markets
Updated 01 Oct, 2026

Fixing bond markets

Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, retail investors, and eventually, foreign investors must become bigger participants in the market.
Call centre rackets
01 Oct, 2026

Call centre rackets

A NUMBER of recent raids conducted by the authorities in different cities point to the growing threat fraudulent ...
Homeward bound
01 Oct, 2026

Homeward bound

FIVE months after Somali pirates captured an oil tanker carrying a 19-member multinational crew, Somali maritime...
Kashmir unresolved
Updated 30 Sep, 2026

Kashmir unresolved

The just solution lies in India addressing the issue through a trilateral dialogue involving the legitimate representatives of the Kashmiri people and Pakistan.
Water shortage
30 Sep, 2026

Water shortage

THAT the country is entering the Rabi season with an anticipated water shortage of nearly 25pc, the lowest carryover...
Young hearts
30 Sep, 2026

Young hearts

THE observance may have passed, but the message of World Heart Day should not fade with it. The occasion is a useful...