MIRPUR - A housewife was martyred as a result of unprovoked firing by the Indian troops on a forward village close to this side of the Line of Control in Bhimber sector in Mirpur division of Azad Jammu Kashmir on Saturday.

When contacted, Bhimber District Deputy Commissioner Sardar Khalid Mahmood Khan told this The Nation that the deceased lady was identified as Munazza Bibi, who embraced martyrdom after the Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing targeting the civilian populated areas of Naali village of Barnala sub-division in Bhimber district.

An ISPR (Inter Services Public Relations Department) press release issued on Saturday said “Indian troops carried out unprovoked deliberate firing on civilian population in Bhimber Sector. Resultantly Munazza Bibi embraced Shahadat. She was mother of two.”

Pakistani troops engaged Indian posts that carried out unprovoked firing, the statement said.

Staff Reporter from Islamabad adds: Director General (SA & SAARC) Dr Mohammad Faisal summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh to Foreign Office on Saturday and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control in Bhimber Sector.

The violations resulted in the shahadat of an innocent young civilian lady (22 years old Munazza Bibi w/o M Waseem r/o Pakka Kothavillage).

“The deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws. The ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation,” Foreign Office in a press release said.

The Director General (SA & SAARC) urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement, investigate it and other incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the Line of Control and the Working Boundary.

He maintained that the Indian side should permit UNMOGIP to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

The Indian forces along the Line of Control and the Working boundary are continuously targeting civilian populated areas with heavy weapons.

In 2018, the Indian forces have carried out more than 2312 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, resulting in the shahadats of 35 innocent civilians, while injuring 135 others.

This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India continued from the year 2017 when the Indian forces had committed 1970 ceasefire violations.