ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Tuesday once again summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh to lodge a protest over unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC). It might be noted that an eight-year-old boy was killed in cross-border firing by Indian troops in Khuiratta Sector along the restive LoC on Monday. The Foreign Office told the Indian diplomat that despite calls for restraint, his country continued to indulge in ceasefire violations. Indian forces had carried out more than 335 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary this year, which had resulted in the death of 15 innocent civilians and injuries to 65 others, it said. The Indian high commissioner was conveyed that deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas, especially children, was 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. The Foreign Office urged India to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement and investigate incidents of ceasefire violations and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary. “Indian side should also permit United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions,” it said.
Published in Daily Times, February 21st 2018.
