FO summons senior Indian envoy to lodge protest over LoC ceasefire violations

The Foreign Office on Friday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to record a strong protest on recent ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) by Indian forces and stressed compliance of the 2003 ceasefire understanding.

Due to “indiscriminate and unprovoked firing” by the Indian occupation forces in in Hotspring Sector of the LoC on Dec 9, a 55-year-old woman had suffered serious injuries, the Foreign Office said in a statement.

It noted that Indian occupation forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB) had been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons.

This year, India has committed 2,940 ceasefire violations, resulting in martyrdom of 27 people and serious injuries to 247 innocent civilians.

In the meeting with the Indian envoy, the FO said killing of innocent civilians was condemned as deplorable and “against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct”.

The Indian diplomat was once again reminded that by raising tensions along the LoC and the WB, India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir.

The Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 ceasefire understanding, investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the WB.

India 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.