Pakistan lodged a protest with India on Wednesday against "unprovoked ceasefire violations" along the Line of Control (LoC) which resulted in two civilian casualties and left six others injured on July 18, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a press released.

The FO director general South Asia summoned the Indian deputy high commissioner to protest and condemn "the unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian occupation forces in Baroh and Tandar Sectors" on July 18, the FO handout read.

The cross-border firing killed Arsalan, 9, and Yasira Bibi, 42, dead while six others were injured, according to the FO.

The FO said that the Indian side was urged to investigate incidents of ceasefire violations and to permit the United Nations Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to "play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions."

Tense relations

Incidents of cross-border firing have become a norm since the last months of 2016 as tensions simmer between Pakistan and India over the Kashmir issue. Exchanges of fire have been reported sporadically since the new year began.

Following the Uri army base attack in September, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stepped up a drive to 'isolate' Pakistan diplomatically.

In the days following the attack, India claimed to have conducted a cross-border 'surgical strike' against 'launch pads of terror' in Azad Jammu and Kashmir — a claim Pakistan strongly rejected.

Pakistan maintains that India has been attempting to divert the world's attention away from atrocities committed by government forces in India-held Kashmir.

Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said that there have been 580 incidents of ceasefire violations in this year alone, on Sunday.

Current ceasefire violations have resulted in the highest number of civilian casualties than in the past, the DG ISPR said.

"India targets civilians in ceasefire violations," Ghafoor said. "The Pakistan Army doesn't think this is a good method. We fire towards bunkers where we think the firing is coming from. We try to keep civilian casualties to a minimum," he added.