Pakistan summons Indian diplomat, protests ceasefire violations

Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh over alleged ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC) which it said left a woman dead.

Mohammad Faisal, who heads the South Asia wing in the Foreign Office, summoned the envoy and “lodged a strong protest on the unprovoked ceasefire violations” by Indian forces in Nikial sector.

“The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws,” the official said.

“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 urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement and investigate the incidents of truce violations, said an official statement.

The Indian diplomat was also told that New Delhi should permit the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan to play its mandated role in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Foreign Ministry said that this year the “Indian forces have carried out 900 ceasefire violations along the LoC and the Working Boundary” which, it claimed, had led to the deaths of 21 civilians and injuries to 90.

—IANS