Pakistan summons Indian Charge d’Affaires to protest ceasefire violations

The Foreign Office summoned the Indian Charge d’Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia on Monday to register Pakistan’s strong protest over the ceasefire violations by Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Dhudnial, Rakhchikri, Chirikot, and Baroh Sectors a day earlier.

The FO, in a statement on Monday, said that the Indian envoy was summoned "by Director General (South Asia & SAARC) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, to register Pakistan’s strong protest over the ceasefire violations [...] Resulting in the martyrdom of a child and serious injuries to four innocent civilians.

"Due to the indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian forces, a two-year-old child, Muhammad Haseeb embraced Shahadat in Dhudnial Sector. In Rakhchikri Sector, two innocent civilians, 26-years-old Waqar Shah and 72-years-old Muhammad Sharif suffered critical injuries. In Chirikot Sector, 17-years-old Tipu and in Baroh Sector, 25-years-old Zareena, sustained serious injuries," the statement read.

The Indian occupation forces along LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars, and automatic weapons. "This year, India has so far committed 749 ceasefire violations to date."

Condemning the targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, the DG (SA & SAARC) underscored that such "senseless"  Indian acts, in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding and complete disregard for international human rights and international norms, further vitiate the tense atmosphere along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security. 

He added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India cannot divert attention from the worsening human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K).

The DG (SA & SAARC) called upon the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding; investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB. He also urged that India should permit the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSC).