ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: As many as 20 innocent civilians have embraced martyrdom while 203 have suffered injuries to date in 2020 as a result of Indian ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC).
In a statement on Thursday, the Foreign Office said that a total of 2,660 ceasefire violations have been committed by the Indian troops this year along the LoC.
The latest incident occurred on Wednesday when the Indian forces opened indiscriminate and unprovoked firing in the Rakhchikri Sector of the LoC, and injured a 26-year-old resident of Village Kirni named Sagheer Ahmed.
The Indian forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars, and automatic weapons.
In a bid to register Pakistan’s strong protest over ceasefire violations by the Indian forces, a senior Indian diplomat was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad on Thursday.
Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts are in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and are also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct.
It was noted that these egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security.
It was added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the Working Boundary, India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK).
The Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations, and maintain peace along the LoC and the Working Boundary.
The Indian side was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolutions.
