Pakistan protests against alleged ceasefire violations by India

Islamabad: Pakistan on Wednesday called in India’s Deputy High Commissioner in Islamabad for the second time this week and lodged a protest against alleged ceasefire violations by Indian security forces along the LoC. [caption id=“attachment_2389006” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational Image. Reuters[/caption] Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan, J P Singh, was called in by the Director General (South Asia & SAARC) to protest against “unprovoked ceasefire violations” by Indian troops in Harpal sector in which a Pakistani civilian was killed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release. Indian forces allegedly also resorted to unprovoked firing at Jandrot, Nikhial and Karela Sectors, as a result of which another civilian was killed and four others were injured, the ministry said. The Deputy High Commissioner was conveyed Pakistan’s concern over the “continuous unprovoked ceasefire violations” by Indian security forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary, it said. Pakistan urged India to immediately stop the violations and observe the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, the ministry said. Previously on Monday, Pakistan had summoned Singh to lodge a protest over “unprovoked ceasefire violations”, a day after India had also registered a similar protest over recent ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops along the LoC that killed six people on the Indian side. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is scheduled to meet his Pakistani counterpart Sartaz Aziz in New Delhi for talks on terrorism-related issues for the first time on August 23, as decided in a meeting between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Nawaz Sharif last month in Ufa in Russia. Six people in Jammu and Kashmir have been killed in heavy firing and mortar bomb shelling by Pakistani troops at several Indian posts and civilian areas since Independence Day. India on 16 August had summoned Pakistani High Commissioner in New Delhi, Abdul Basit, and conveyed its strong protest and anger over “unprovoked” firing by Pakistani troops and “systematic targeting” of civilian population along the LoC. PTI