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Foreign Office statement says Delhi has committed 2,280 ceasefire violations thus far this year, resulting in 18 deaths and 183 injuries
Pakistan on Friday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register its protest over ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) a day earlier that had left three civilians injured.
A statement issued by the Foreign Office said that Indian forces’ indiscriminate firing in two sectors of the disputed border region had left three people—Irum Riaz, 15; Nusrat Kausar, 26; and Mukheel, 16—seriously injured. All three are residents of Andrala Nar village.
“This year, India has committed 2,280 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 18 shahadats and serious injuries to 183 innocent civilians,” read the statement, adding that Indian forces are continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons.
Condemning this deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by Indian forces, the statement said that such senseless acts are in clear violation of the 2003 ceasefire agreement and also violate all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct.
“These egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security,” it said, and reiterated Islamabad’s stance that such efforts could not divert global attention from the grave human rights situation in India-held Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the statement, the Indian diplomat was urged to respect the ceasefire and maintain peace along the LoC and the Working Boundary. “The Indian side was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions,” it added.
Admission of wrongdoing
Separately, the Indian Army admitted that its soldiers had exceeded their authority in July when three cousins were killed during a counterinsurgency operation in southern Kashmir and buried in a remote border region.
Reportedly, the men were identified by their families through pictures on social media, with the incident provoking outrage and calls for an independent probe.
According to army spokesman Rajesh Kalia, the soldiers had “exceeded” their powers and “contravened” the guidelines governing military conduct in India-held Kashmir. “Disciplinary proceedings” would be taken against those responsible, he added.