Islamabad, Mar 09 L Pakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif today said that the situation on the Line of Control and Working Boundary with India has been rapidly deteriorating since 2017.
Responding to a query in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, he alleged “India has committed more than 400 ceasefire violations” along the LoC and the Working Boundary since January in which 18 civilians have been killed.
“Heavy weapons, including mortars are frequently being used by the Indian forces on the civilian population on the Pakistani side of the LoC and the Working Boundary,” he said.
Asif said the LoC violations were an attempt to divert the attention from the “deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Valley”.
He said that the role of the UN Military Observers Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was crucial to ensure peace at the LoC.
The minister alleged that Pakistan always extended full cooperation to the UNMOGIP but India was not cooperating with the world body representatives.
India maintains that the UNMOGIP has “outlived its utility and is irrelevant” after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control (LoC).
Soldier injured in Pak firing in Uri
Srinagar, Mar 9: A solder was injured as Indian and Pakistani troops today once again traded fire in the Uri sector of north Kashmir
A defence spokesman said the injured soldier was evacuated to Army’s 92 Base Hospital in Badamibagh cantonment here for treatment.
“Indian Army has retaliated to the unprovoked firing appropriately,” he said.
Meanwhile, Indian and Pakistani troops today traded mortar shells along the LoC in Poonch sector as well.
“The Pakistan army initiated unprovoked and indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics and mortars from 0930 hours in Poonch sector along the LoC in Rajouri district,” a defence spokesman said.
It may be recalled that Pakistan troops shelled Sunderbani and Keri areas in Rajouri district, and Khour area in Akhnoor sector of Jammu district on Wednesday.
Firing and shelling along the LoC and the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir has left 21 people, including 12 security personnel, dead and more than 80 others, mostly civilians, injured this year.
