ISLAMABAD: The foreign ministry’s director general for South Asia and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Dr Mohammad Faisal, on Wednesday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh to condemn unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian forces in the Chirikot sector.

The truce violation left 75-year-old Mehmooda Begum, wife of Sher Wali Mohammad, dead, a Foreign Office statement said.

Despite calls for restraint, India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations. This year Indian forces have so far carried out more than 1,300 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary (WB) resulting in the martyrdom of 50 civilians and injuries to 165, as compared to 382 ceasefire violations in 2016.

Dr Faisal urged New Delhi to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and the WB.

FO regrets New Delhi’s attitude of denying visa to cancer patient

He asked the Indian side to permit the United Nations Military Observer Group In India & Pakistan to play its mandated role as per the Security Council resolutions.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office spokesperson said that the Indian attempt to politicise a humanitarian case by denying a medical visa to a cancer patient was regrettable.

Addressing a press conference at the Foreign Office with a cancer survivor, Osama, and his parents, who recently returned from Turkey after getting treatment for liver cancer, he said New Delhi demanded a letter of approval from the foreign minister to issue a medical visa to Osama, which was a clear violation of international laws.

He said the patient had to suffer because of the time wasted in waiting for the medical visa from the Indian embassy.

Osama on the occasion said he regretted the Indian attitude because it unnecessarily politicised a humanitarian issue. He said India politicised the issue as “I hail from Azad Kashmir. It was painful for me and my family because delaying the visa could worsen my condition”.

Published in Dawn, November 16th, 2017