FO summons Indian envoy to condemn ceasefire violations

• FO summons the Indian Chargé d'affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemns the unprovoked ceasefire violations along LoC.
• Consequent to the unprovoked firing by Indian occupation forces including use of heavy artillery in Jura, Shahkot and Nausehri sectors.

ISLAMABAD: Director General (South Asia & SAARC) of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammad Faisal Sunday summoned the Indian Chargé d'affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by India along the Line of Control (LoC) on October 19 and 20, 2019.

Consequent to the unprovoked firing by Indian occupation forces including use of heavy artillery in Jura, Shahkot and Nausehri sectors, five innocent civilians martyred while six others, including women and children, sustained serious injuries, a Foreign Office statement said.

The martyrs included Muhammad Rafaqat s/o Haji Azam aged 28 years, 60-year Haji Azam, Haji Sarfaraz s/o Ghulam Rabbani aged 47 years, residents of Village Nausadda and two non-resident civilian labourers Liaqat and Faisal.

The Indian occupation forces, along the LoC and Working Boundary, have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy calibre mortars, and automatic weapons.

This escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from 2017, when the Indian forces committed more than 1970 ceasefire violation.

Pakistan categorically rejects Indian media reports about so–called “launchpads” being targeted by India along the LoC.

Earlier, highlighting the Indian threat to regional peace and security, Pakistan has called upon the P5 to ask India to provide information about the so called alleged “launchpads” and stated its willingness to arrange a visit of the P5 diplomats to those locations to expose Indian falsehood.

Heinous Indian targeting of civilians is a typical attempt by India to divert international attention from the humanitarian nightmare in Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, the Foreign Office spokesman said.

The deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas is 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, he added.

The Director General (SA & SAARC) urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire arrangement; investigate these and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary.

He urged that the Indian side should permit UNMOGIP to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council Resolutions.