–Pakistan Army warns India against attacking Pakistan, reiterates determination to defend motherland, Kashmiri brethren at the cost of blood and lives
Five people was killed in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and three others sustained injuries in firing by Indian troops from across the restive Line of Control (LoC), the military’s media wing said on Friday.
Indian army troops targeted the civilian population living in Rakhchikri and Khanjar sectors along the LoC using rockets and mortars, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Twitter.
The ceasefire violation targeting Tari Band and Samahni villages led to the death of one citizen and left three civilians, including two women, injured.
“PakArmy responded effectively, targeting Indian Army posts,” the ISPR said.
Meanwhile, Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwala, who was supposed to visit the LoC on Friday, said he was forced to cancel his visit due to relentless Indian shelling.
In a statement, Mandviwala, who is currently visiting AJK, said he was also scheduled to meet the prime minister and president of AJK but the meeting was postponed
Mandviwala said Indian troops were carrying out “intense shelling” and had also targeted civilian homes and a mosque.
“This is not even shelling, but India is throwing bombs,” he said, adding that the residents of Neelum Valley were becoming victims of “Indian army’s terrorism”.
Regretting the deaths of civilians, he urged the international community to take notice of Indian “aggression” and “state-sponsored terrorism”.
The heavily militarised LoC that splits the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir has been witnessing skirmishes and artillery duels in a serious breach of a truce agreement that the rival armies had signed in November 2003.
Last month, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Munir Akram had told the United Nations that India’s aggressive policies and military posture posed an “immediate and pervasive threat” to international peace and security.
Addressing the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) First Committee on disarmament and international security, Akram said Indian forces continued to resort to artillery and small arms fire every day along the LoC, targeting innocent civilians on Pakistan’s side.
“There were over 3,000 ceasefire violations in 2019 and over 2,400 this year so far.
“Such daily military provocations are accompanied by repeated threats of aggression by India’s political and military leaders. Pakistan has acted with restraint to these provocations and threats, but as we demonstrated in February 2019, Pakistan will respond decisively to any Indian aggression with the full force of our capabilities,” the envoy added.
MILITARY RESPONDS:
The Pakistan Army said that it has inflicted substantial losses on Indian troops which has been accepted by the Indian media as well, warning New Delhi that such provocative acts in future “will be responded in the same coin”.
The military’s media wing, in a statement on Friday, said that Indian forces targeted civilian population along the Line of Control after being “humiliated” at the hands of local freedom fighters in occupied Kashmir, opposite Neelum Valley on the night of November 7/8.
“[The Indian Army] suffered few casualties including four soldiers. To ward off the humiliation faced by the Indian Army in front of the domestic audience, instead of finding the reasons from within and addressing the same, on 13 November 2020, the Indian Army opted for resorting to unprovoked and indiscriminate fire of all calibers, including artillery and heavy mortars, along the LOC in various sectors of AJ&K,” said the ISPR.
The military’s media wing said that Indian forces not only resorted to engaging Pakistan’s military posts but also targeted civilian population across the LoC which resulted in the martyrdom of four persons and 12 getting injured.
“Pakistan Army gave a befitting reply to the Indian Army, and effectively targeted those Indian posts which engaged innocent civilians,” said the ISPR. “As a result, substantial losses, both in terms of men and material, have been incurred on to Indian troops which have also been accepted by Indian media.”
The ISPR stated that the Indian Army’s losses were much more what they were acknowledging, adding that one brave Pakistani soldier was martyred in this exchange while five others were injured.
The armed forces made it clear that Pakistan is a peace-loving country and the Pakistan Army pursues the same aspirations. However, it warned India from committing any further acts of aggression and if it does, should be prepared to receive a befitting response.
“We stand committed to defend the motherland and our Kashmiri brethren even at the cost of our blood and lives. We assure, that all such provocative acts shall continue to be responded in the same coin,” said the ISPR.
PAKISTAN SUMMONS INDIAN CHARGÉ D’AFFAIRES:
Pakistan on Friday summoned the Indian Chargé d’Affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to register strong protest over ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the LoC on the day.
Consequent to the Indian firing, four innocent civilians were martyred while another 12 sustained serious injuries, the Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement.
The targeted areas in the most recent ceasefire violations were Neelum Valley (Nekrun, Kel, Sharda, Dudhnial, Shahkot, Jura, Nauseri sectors), Leepa Valley (Danna, Mandal and Kayani sectors), Jhelum Valley (Chham and Pandu sectors), and Bagh Valley (Pirkanthi, Sankh, Haji Pir, Bedori and Kailer sectors).
The spokesperson said that in the deliberate provocation, the Indian occupation forces, in utter disregard for all international obligations and human rights and the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, targeted the civilian inhabited areas.
The Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons. This year, India has committed 2737 ceasefire violations to date, martyring 25 people and injuring 218 others.
Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, it was underscored that such senseless acts were in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, and also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct.
It was stressed that the egregious violations of international law reflected consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and were a threat to regional peace and security.
It was added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India could not divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).
Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate the current and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations, and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB.
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.
