ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Tuesday summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh again seeking an end to ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC), the foreign ministry said.

According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, Director-General South Asia Dr Mohammad Faisal summoned Singh and “lodged [a] strong protest over the unprovoked ceasefire violations on [the] 21st of this month.”  

He said that due to the Indian aggression on the LoC at Jandrot, Nikial, Karela and Baroh sectors four innocent civilians were killed and ten others were injured.      

“The director-general also condemned the violation of Pakistan's Maritime Exclusive Economic Zone by the Indian Naval Submarine on 14th of this month in violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” said the foreign ministry     

He urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding and UNCLOS, investigate the continued incidents of violations and instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire and international borders, in letter and spirit, the statement added.

For the last few weeks, both Pakistan and India have been summoning each other’s envoys exchanging blames over the LoC violations.

The tensions have risen since the killing of freedom fighter Burhan Wani in July and an attack in Kashmir that killed 19 Indian soldiers in September. 

There have been regular skirmishes along the LoC in the recent weeks.

India also claimed to have carried a surgical strike, which was out rightly rejected by Pakistan.

Pak-Jordan consultations held

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the inaugural session of Pakistan-Jordan Bilateral Political Consultations was held here.

Additional Secretary Middle East and Africa Tasawar Khan led the Pakistan delegation, while the Jordanian side was headed by Ambassador Nayaf El-Zidan, secretary-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the foreign ministry said.

“The entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including political, economic, defence and cultural cooperation were deliberated upon during the meeting. Both sides expressed satisfaction at the positive trajectory in the bilateral relations, and stressed the need to enhance interaction at the leadership level. Close cooperation between Pakistan and Jordan at various multilateral fora, including the UN and the OIC, was also noted with satisfaction,” it said.

Acknowledging the deepening economic ties, --- bilateral trade, agriculture, promotion of investment and regular exchange of visits by business delegations, were identified as potential areas to further enhance bilateral cooperation.

It was also agreed to hold the 10th meeting of the Pakistan-Jordan Joint Ministerial Commission in the second quarter of 2017, and the inaugural session of Pakistan-Jordan Business Council at a mutually-convenient date.

During the consultations, views were also exchanged on a wide range of regional and global issues, the ministry said.

The additional secretary gave an overview of achievements of Pakistan in improving security situation in Pakistan and the measures taken for the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP).

The Jordanian side appreciated Pakistan's successes in Operation Zarb-e-Azb to root out the menace of terrorism.

He also appraised the delegation about the important regional developments, including the current situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir in the wake of massive human rights violations being committed by the Indian security forces, as well as the situation in Afghanistan.

The Secretary-General, Nayaf El-Zidan, acknowledged Pakistan's role and its efforts in promoting regional peace.

He also gave a detailed review of the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East especially with reference to the situation in Syria, Iraq and Palestine.

Zidan reiterated that Jordan would continue to play its role towards complete restoration of peace in the conflict-ridden areas in the region.

Both sides acknowledged their similarity of views and approaches on various issues of concern and interest in their respective region.

Successful conclusion of the inaugural round of Bilateral Political Consultations between Pakistan and Jordan will pave the way for strengthening fraternal ties in a robust manner.