Pakistan claims India violated ceasefire along LoC, killed civilians

The nations had reached an agreement in 2021, to strictly abide by the 2003 ceasefire agreement.

Islamabad on Saturday lodged a protest with New Delhi alleging that violation of ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) by the Indian Army personnel resulted in the death of two civilians in Pakistan.

This is the first time one of the two nations alleged violation of the 2003 ceasefire along the LoC after they in February 2021 reached an agreement to strictly abide by it and not to flout it. The Indian Army, however, stated that its soldiers had foiled an infiltration attempt by three armed intruders from Pakistan.

New Delhi’s acting envoy to Islamabad was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of Pakistan and a “strong protest” was conveyed to him over the alleged “violation of ceasefire” by the armed forces of India. Pakistan’s foreign ministry claimed that Indian Army violated the ceasefire and the cross-border firing had led to the killing of two civilians and injured another on its side of the LoC in the Satwal Sector.

Read | Pak summons Indian Charge d' Affaires over alleged ceasefire violation

The Indian Army’s White Knight Corps based in Jammu said that the intruders were trying to cross the LoC at Krishna Ghati sector in the Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday/Saturday night. A soldier of the Indian Army was injured in the fire exchange with the intruders, who were seen falling down near the LoC.

The Pakistan Army, however, alleged that the Indian Army had violated the ceasefire and opened fire across the LoC targetting civilians.

The incident took place even as Islamabad objected to a joint statement issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with United States President Joe Biden in Washington DC on Thursday.

The joint statement has Biden joining Modi in strongly condemning cross-border terrorism and calling on the Government of Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control could be used for launching terrorist attacks.

“Targeting of civilians is contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws,” the foreign ministry of Pakistan stated in a press release after registering its protest with the acting envoy of India. “The Indian side was urged to respect the Ceasefire Understanding, investigate the incident, and maintain peace along the LoC.”