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Four people, including three children, were killed while 10 were injured in unprovoked ceasefire violations across the Working Boundary (WB) by India on Friday, an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) press release said.
According to the army's media wing, the Punjab Rangers are responding to Indian fire and targeting Indian posts which initiated fire in the Sialkot sector as intermittent fire continues.
The Foreign Office said that the violations took place in Pukhlian, Cahprar, Harpal, Charwah and Shakargarh sectors and identified the deceased as a woman, Kalsoom, and her three children — Mehwish, Safia and Hamza.
The Associated Press, quoting Indian officials, earlier reported that the firing began after an Indian paramilitary soldier was allegedly killed by a Pakistani sniper late Thursday. The Indian officials also claimed that two people were killed by Pakistani firing.
FO summons Indian high commissioner
The acting foreign secretary summoned the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Ajay Bisaria today to condemn the unprovoked and continuing ceasefire violations along the LoC and WB, the FO said.
In 2018, the Indian forces have carried out more than 1,050 ceasefire violations along the LoC and WB, resulting in the killing of 28 civilians, while injuring 117 others, it added.
The acting foreign secretary urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire and maintain peace on the LoC and WB.
The incident comes days after a two-week silence on the LoC and WB was broken on Monday when a Pakistani man was shot dead by an Indian sniper.
The heavily militarised LoC has frequently witnessed ceasefire violations, particularly after September 2016, in a serious breach of a truce signed by the two armies in November 2003.
Apart from heavy mortar shelling, Indian troops have resorted to deliberate targeting of civilians with small arms while they conduct daily chores in vulnerable areas along the LoC in AJK.
“In 2017, 46 civilians were killed in similar attacks and another 262 wounded, while the number of the deceased and injured persons in 2016 was 41 and 142 respectively,” according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA).
With additional reporting by The Associated Press.
