Pakistan lodges strong protest over LoC violations by India

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday summoned Indian Charge d’Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia and lodged a strong protest with Indian envoy over ceasefire violations. Gaurav Ahluwalia was summoned in the FO to register Pakistan’s strong protest at the ceasefire violation by Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kotkotera and Karela Sectors on 11 January 2020, resulting in the shahadat of an innocent civilian. Due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian forces, a 24 year old, Muhammad Ishtiaque from Chowki village of Tehsil and District Khuiratta had embraced shahadat. Condemning the targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, Director General South Asia and SAARC Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri underscored that such senseless Indian acts, in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding and complete disregard for international human rights and international norms, are a threat to regional peace and security. The FO spokesperson also mentioned that by raising tensions along the LoC and the Workign Boundary, India cannot divert attention from the worsening human rights violations taking place in the Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK). He called upon Indian side to respect the Ceasefire Understanding; investigate this and other incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary. Zahid Hafeez also urged that India should permit the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan  to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council Resolutions.