ISLAMABAD     -   Pakistan on Friday summoned Indian Charge d’Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Shahkot and Khuiratta Sectors Thursday.

Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by Indian army, three innocent civilians including, Ilm Din, s/o Zulfiqar, Gul Zarin, s/o Ilm Din and Sultan, s/o Gul Zarin, residents of village Lala, Tehsil Athmaqam, District Neelum, embraced shahadat, while one child, Iqra d/o Muhammad Aftab, age 4 years, resident of village Jugulpur, Tehsil & District Khuiratta, sustained serious injuries.

Spokesperson Foreign Office and Director General South Asia and Saarc Dr Mohammad Faisal urged the Indian side to respect ‘the 2003 Ceasefire Arrangement’ and to investigate Thursday’s and other incidents of ceasefire violations.

He urged that the Indian side should permit United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions, according to press release issued here from Foreign Office.

Dr Faisal alleged that the Indian occupation forces along the LoC and Working boundary have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-calibre mortars, and automatic weapons, which still continues.

This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from the year 2017 when the Indian forces committed 1970 ceasefire violations, it says.

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, read the press release.

It may be mentioned here that Pakistan,  a couple of days before, had also arranged the visit of the diplomatic corps in Islamabad along with media, including foreign media, to the site of Indian ceasefire violations which resulted in the Shahadats of five innocent civilians on the Pakistani side and injuries to six others.

After the baseless and fallacious statement of the Indian Army Chief alleging that recent Indian ceasefire violations were targeting ‘launch pads/terrorist camps’ on the Pakistani side of the LoC, Pakistan requested the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to share details but no response was given at that time.

The diplomatic corps and media were taken to the LoC, including Jura to witness the misleading claims of India. They personally witnessed the destruction of life and property resulting from the recent Indian ceasefire violations, including use of heavy artillery. The Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad were also invited but he did not show up.