Pakistan urges India to maintain peace along LoC, WB

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has urged India to respect the 2003 ceasefire agreement, investigate  incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary.

It also urged the Indian side 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.

The demand came after the FO summoned Indian Charge d’Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia to register Islamabad’s strong protest over the ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jandrot and Khuiratta Sector , resulting in shahadat and serious injuries to innocent civilians.

“Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Jandrot sector, an innocent lady, Yasmeen Sheraz w/o Sheraz, 36 years old, r/o Red village, embraced shahadat. Whereas, an innocent girl, Ateba Zaher d/o Zaher Ahmed, 9 years old, r/o Mohra Chattar village, sustained serious injuries in Khuiratta Sector,” according to the Foreign Office.

The Indian occupation forces along the 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 committed 882 ceasefire violations.

Condemning the targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces Director General (South Asia & SAARC) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, underscored that such senseless 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 grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K).