India envoy summoned over LoC violations

ISLAMABAD: A senior Indian diplomat was summoned at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Wednesday to register Pakistan’s strong protest over ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jandrot Sector the other day.

The unprovoked firing caused serious injuries to Nasreen Akhtar, 26, resident of Sandhara village; Rabia, 24 and Momina, 7, residents of Dera Sher Khan village; and Munshi, 7, resident of Bamroch village, said a Foreign Office press release issued here.

The Foreign Office said the diplomat was told that such senseless acts were in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct. “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 said.

“By raising tensions along the LoC and the Working Boundary, India could not divert attention from the grave human rights situation in occupied Jammu and Kashmir,” it added.

The Indian side was called 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.

According to the statement, the Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-calibre mortars and automatic weapons.