Indian Deputy High Commissioner (DHC) J.P. Singh was summoned by the Foreign Office (FO) once again on Monday over "unprovoked" ceasefire violations by Indian forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on July 21, which had resulted in the death of a 12-year-old boy and injuries to three others.

The Director General of South Asia and Saarc, Dr Mohammad Faisal, lodged a formal protest for violations in the Leepa Sector in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. In a statement, the FO said that the "deliberate targeting of civilians is [...] deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws."

The FO also urged the Indian forces to respect the 2003 ceasefire agreement in letter and spirit and maintain peace along the LoC. He also demanded an investigation into the latest violation as well as all other incidents of a similar nature in the recent past.

He insisted that the Indian side should permit the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan to play its mandated role as per UN Security Council resolutions.

This is the third ceasefire violation by the Indian forces in the past four days. Earlier this month, the Indian DHC was summoned by the FO twice for ceasefire violations, yet attacks have continued. Both soldiers and civilians have been targeted.

Earlier this year, in June, during a National Assembly Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs meeting, the director general of the Disaster Management Authority had said that unprovoked firing by Indian forces across the LoC has taken 832 lives, while 3,000 people have been injured and 3,300 houses have been damaged.

Opinion

Editorial

Geopolitical games
Updated 18 Dec, 2024

Geopolitical games

While Assad may be gone — and not many are mourning the end of his brutal rule — Syria’s future does not look promising.
Polio’s toll
18 Dec, 2024

Polio’s toll

MONDAY’s attacks on polio workers in Karak and Bannu that martyred Constable Irfanullah and wounded two ...
Development expenditure
18 Dec, 2024

Development expenditure

PAKISTAN’S infrastructure development woes are wide and deep. The country must annually spend at least 10pc of its...
Risky slope
Updated 17 Dec, 2024

Risky slope

Inflation likely to see an upward trajectory once high base effect tapers off.
Digital ID bill
Updated 17 Dec, 2024

Digital ID bill

Without privacy safeguards, a centralised digital ID system could be misused for surveillance.
Dangerous revisionism
Updated 17 Dec, 2024

Dangerous revisionism

When hatemongers call for digging up every mosque to see what lies beneath, there is a darker agenda driving matters.