Pakistan protests with India over firing at civilians

By APD Writer Muhammad Sohail

**ISLAMABAD, Sept. 22 (APD) -- **Pakistan on Friday lodged a protest with India over cross-border firing by Indian forces that killed six Pakistani civilians on Thursday, a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.

Pakistan’s acting Foreign Secretary, Aitzaz Ahmed, summoned Gautam Bambawale, the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad, and strongly condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian forces at Bini Sulariyan, a village in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province bordering Indian Controlled Kashmir.

According to the statement, at least six civilians, including 4 females, were killed and 26 others, including 15 females and 5 children, were injured when mortar shells fired by Indian side landed at their houses.

Pakistani official urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire arrangement; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the Line of Control and Working Boundary.

“The deliberate targeting of civilians is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws,” said the statement.

Pakistan also demanded that the Indian side should permit United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

Pakistan and India have been blaming each other of violation of the ceasefire, which was agreed between the two sides in 2003 to keep peace at borders.

Pakistani gov’t said that since the start of this year, Indian forces carried out more than 870 ceasefire violations, resulting in the killing of 38 innocent civilians and injuries to 142, as compared to 382 ceasefire violations in 2016.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)