The Director General (SA & SAARC), Dr Mohammad Faisal, summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner, J.P. Singh on Friday and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on Thursday in Battal Sector.
The Director General (SA & SAARC) urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire arrangement; investigate this particular incident along with other incidents of ceasefire violations and 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.
According to a foreign office announcement, the Indian occupation forces deliberately targeted a school van carrying school children on Battal-Madharpur road, resulting in the death of the driver of the van, Sarfaraz Ahmed, leaving the school children severely traumatized. Despite calls for restraint, India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations. In 2018, the Indian forces have carried out more than 335 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary, resulting in the killing of 14 innocent civilians and injuries to 65 others. This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from the year 2017 when the Indian forces committed more than 1970 ceasefire violations.
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. Despite heightened security protocol and all other measures, there seems no end to these border skirmishes. Continued border skirmishes can’t be termed as full-scale war but it can lead both countries to a bigger tragedy. In order to maintain peace along the Working Boundary, Indian military must stop targeting innocent civilians of villages living along the bordering areas. Our government should make every effort to highlight Indian acts of aggression at international forums. The international community should also take note of the continuous and dangerous Indian aggression that can lead to instability in the entire South Asian region and maybe even beyond.
