Pakistan summons Indian envoy to protest killing of civilian in LoC ceasefire violation

Published January 7, 2019
Foreign Office says India's ceasefire violations are a threat to regional peace and "may lead to a strategic miscalculation". —PID
Foreign Office says India's ceasefire violations are a threat to regional peace and "may lead to a strategic miscalculation". —PID

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner J P Singh to protest the latest "unprovoked ceasefire violations" by Indian border forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Bagsar sector which resulted in the death of a civilian, Radio Pakistan reported.

According to a press release issued by FO Director General (South Asia and Saarc) Dr Muhammad Faisal, who also serves as the foreign ministry spokesperson, the firing at the LoC left civilian Azeem dead and caused injuries to a woman.

"The Indian forces along the Line of Control and the Working boundary are continuously targeting civilian populated areas with heavy weapons," the statement read, adding that this "unprecedented escalation" in ceasefire violations by India has been ongoing since 2017, a year during which they committed 1,970 such violations.

The statement termed the "deliberate targeting" of an area populated by civilians as "deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws".

It added that India's ceasefire violations were a threat to both regional peace and security, and "may lead to a strategic miscalculation".

Dr Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire agreement. He asked them to investigate this as well as other incidents of ceasefire violations and to instruct Indian forces to respect the ceasefire "in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary".

The FO spokesperson also urged the Indian side to allow the United Nations Military Observers Mission for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per United Nations Security Council resolutions.

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