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.
