India, Pakistan Train Guns at Each Other Over Ceasefire Violations

There were 296 cases of ceasefire violations in July, PTI reported quoting sources.

India and Pakistan, on Friday, 11 October, resorted to blame game over civilian ceasefire violations across the LoC, raising the issue of targeting civilians and loss of life and property.

India has seen a spike in ceasefire violations since the repealing of special provisions of Article 370 in August, Army sources said on Friday.

The issue was raised by the Army during the functional level talks held by the Directorate General of Military Operations with its Pakistani counterpart on 1 October.

Last month, the Army rescued school students amid shelling in the Poonch district, an official said.

In July, there were 296 cases of ceasefire violations (CFVs), 307 in August and 292 in September, sources said. September also recorded 61 caliber escalation, implying usage of mortar and heavy ammunition.

In July 2018, the Army had recorded 13 cases of CFVs, followed by 44 in August and 102 in September. In 2017, there were 68 cases of CFVs in July, followed by 108 in August and 101 in September.

In September this year, of the 292 cases, the area north of Pir Panjal recorded 42 cases of cross-border firing, while the rest were reported in the south of the mountain ranges.

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Pakistan Summons Indian envoy, Alleges Civilian Targeting

Pakistan, meanwhile, summoned India's Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia to protest over the alleged “unprecedented escalation” of ceasefire violations by the Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC) that it said killed a boy and injured 16 other civilians.

The Pakistan Foreign Office said that Director General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal summoned Ahluwalia and “condemned” the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian forces along the LoC in Sharda, Nezapir, Satwal and Bagsar sectors on 10 October.

Faisal said a 10-year-old boy was killed while 16 others civilians, including six children and two women, sustained serious injuries due to the indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the India Army in Sharda Sector.

Further, two civilians were injured in Nezapir, three, including a child and a woman, in Satwal, and one civilian in Bagsar Sector.

“The Indian forces along the LoC and the Working Boundary have continuously been targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars, and automatic weapons. This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from the year 2017 when the Indian forces committed 1,970 violations,” the foreign office said.

Faisal, also the foreign office spokesperson, said the deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas is indeed deplorable and contrary to human dignity, international human rights and humanitarian laws.

“The ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation,” he said.

He urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire arrangement; investigate these and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the LoC and the Working Boundary.

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(With inputs from PTI)