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**By APD writer Muhammad Sohail **
**ISLAMABAD, June 20 (APD) ** -- Unprovoked firing by Indian forces across the Line of Control (LoC) has taken 832 lives on Pakistan side, according to an official report presented before a standing committee of Pakistani parliament.
Director General of the Disaster Management Authority, Zaheeruddin Qureshi, informed the National Assembly's (the lower house) Standing Committee on Kashmir Affairs on Monday evening that some 3,000 people have also been injured and 3,300 houses damaged so far since November 2003 when both countries agreed on ceasefire.
Pakistan condemned what it called 'the unprovoked ceasefire violation by the Indian occupation forces'
The standing committee held the meeting to discuss Indian ceasefire violations on the LoC, a temporary border between the two parts of Jammu and Kashmir controlled by India and Pakistan separately.
The committee was also informed that about 425,000 civilians residing in areas around the LoC were under threat because of cross-border firing.
The spokesperson for the Pakistan administered Jammu and Kashmir also appeared before the committee and complained of the Pakistan government for not providing financial assistance to the families of the deceased and injured.
Usually Rs 300,000 (2,883 US dollars) are given to families of the deceased while Rs 100,000 ($961 US dollars) go to the injured.
Members of the committee insisted on visiting the LoC to determine the accurate situation on the border, however the date of their visit was not decided yet.
Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire along the LoC in 2003, but both routinely accuse each other of ceasefire violation.
Pakistan has been urging Indian side to respect the Ceasefire Understanding; investigate incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
