ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday urged the Indian government to allow the representatives of United Nations Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to visit their side of Kashmir across Line of Control to check and prepare independent report on recent violations of ceasefire.
The UNMOGIP is an independent group of the United Nations and Pakistan had allowed their representatives to visit its side of LoC and now the India should also allow them to visit their side of the LoC to check the damage caused due to recent violations of ceasefire across LoC, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam said while addressing weekly press briefing here Friday at Foreign Office.
The Spokesperson said that Pakistan took the UN observers to its side of the line of control and working boundary to show them the damage and pattern of fire carried out by the Indian side.
The observers would have compiled a report and sent it to the UN as per practice, she remarked.
She said the UNMOGIP is a neutral observer and the best option for India is to allow the observers to visit its part of the line of control to assess the situation and damage. Its investigation and recommendations should be acceptable to India, she added.
The spokesperson said that Pakistan has strongly condemned the recent violation of ceasefire across LoC and issued strong statements in this regard.
She said Advisor to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz issued a statement and expressed his deep concern over the recent escalation of ceasefire violations at the Line of Control and Working Boundary by the Indian security forces.
She said Advisor Aziz has said that even on Eid day the Indian forces, in complete disregard of the festive event, carried on the fire and put four innocent lives to death.
"Sartaj Aziz called upon the Indian government to immediately cease fire and shelling and help preserve tranquillity."
She said the Advisor told the Indian government that the government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had been exercising utmost restraint and responsibility despite these unprovoked violation of ceasefire.
The spokesperson said that Pakistan while strongly protesting with the Government of India emphasized the need to resolve the issue through diplomatic channels and called for restraining its forces from constant violation of the ceasefire.
The spokesperson clarified that Pakistan did not start the violation.
"We did not start violation and not escalated the situation at LoC and just responded the fire. It was strong but measured," she added.
The spokesperson said India had escalated the situation by starting the violating of ceasefire across LoC.
Replying to a question, the spokesperson said through violation of ceasefire across LoC India could not force Pakistan to come on the negotiation table.
The issue of recent violation of ceasefire across LoC had been discussed in the United Nations by Pakistan's Permanent Representative Masood Khan, she added.
The spokesperson said the international community has expressed its response on the violation of ceasefire across LoC and it had asked India to show restrain and resolve the issued through dialogue.
She explained that Pakistan has done a lot to resume dialogue process with India and the scheduled Foreign Secretary level talks in August were canceled by India.
Replying to a questions, she said, there is nothing to share with the press about the progress on the foreign secretary level talks with India so far.
About the recent drone attacks in North Waziristan, the spokesperson said that Pakistan has the same policy on drone attacks. These are violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and illegal therefore Pakistan always condemned these attacks, she added.
She said that Pakistan had taken the issue of drone strikes at various international fora and even at the Human Right organization of the Untied Nations in Geneva.
Replying to a question about killing of some Iranian security officials near Pakistan's border in Balochistan, the spokesperson said through better border management and coordination between Pakistan and Iran, the situation could be improved.
She categorically stated that there is no safe haven for terrorists inside Pakistan adding that there is need to work together through intelligence sharing and working on several other available mechanism in this regard.
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