–FO summons Indian diplomat to ‘strongly protest’ against continuous violations of ceasefire agreement
RAWALPINDI: A two-year-old boy was killed and four others were injured as a result of the indiscriminate firing in the last 24 hours by the Indian troops across the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between the two countries at Jammu and Kashmir.
Taking to Twitter, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said: “Indian Army troops in total disregard to [the] ceasefire agreement and international conventions initiated unprovoked ceasefire violations along LoC, deliberately targeting [the] civilian population in Baroh, Dhudnial, Rakhchikri and Chirikot Sectors.”
…Pakistan Army troops effectively responded and targeted those Indian posts which initiated fire. Due to indiscriminate Indian fire of heavy weapons and mortars, a two years old minor Muhammad Haseeb in Dhudnial Sector, embraced shahadat… (2/3)
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) April 13, 2020
This is the third consecutive day that Indian troops have violated the ceasefire agreement. The two-year-old’s demise comes a day after a four-year-old boy lost his life in Azad Jammu and Kashmir in Indian shelling from across LoC.
According to the chief military spokesperson, Pakistan Army responded and “targeted those Indian posts which had initiated fire”.
The two-year-old who passed away belonged to the Dhunial sector, while four people, including a woman and a 72-year-old senior citizen, from Baroh, Rakhchikri and Chirikot sectors sustained serious injuries.
The military media wing further said that the injured have been evacuated to nearby medical facilities for treatment.
PAKISTAN SUMMONS INDIAN ENVOY OVER LOC VIOLATIONS:
Later in the day, the Foreign Office (FO) summoned Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to “strongly protest” the continuous violations of the ceasefire agreement by Indian troops.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office: “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) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry 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.”
Chaudhry 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).
He 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.
According to the statement, 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).
