‘Worst escalation ever’: India’s 400 violations on LoC, WB in two months

• MoFA launches a diplomatic offensive to warn world on India’s war hysteria
• Indian Army chief keeps threatening Pakistan on aggressive designs

ISLAMABAD: In what could be described as ‘worst escalation ever’ on Pakistan, Line of Control (LoC) and the working boundary (WB), the Indian forces carried out more than 400 ceasefire violations in the past two months, resulting in the martyrdom of 18 innocent civilians and injuries to 68 to date.

An official document shared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) with the Pakistan Today suggests that the ministry has also launched a diplomatic offensive to take the world community into confidence over the Indian war hysteria which may escalate into a nuclear war between the two neighbours as the situation on the Line of Control and the working boundary is rapidly deteriorating since 2017.

“Heavy weapons, including mortars, are being used frequently by the Indian forces, on the civilian population inside Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and the working boundary, resulting in a number of casualties and damage to properties. These are violations of the ceasefire arrangement, signed in 2003,” the official document said.

This unprecedented escalation in the ceasefire violations by India a continuation of the trend from 2017 when the Indian forces committed 1970 ceasefire violations resulting in the martyrdom of 54 civilians and injuries to 174 others, as compared to 382 ceasefire violations in 2016.

An official said that Pakistan had noticed several statements by Indian Army chief General Bipin Rawat who keeps threatening Pakistan on India’s aggressive designs too. On February 23, General Rawat again resorted to threaten Pakistan over alleged cross-LoC attacks, saying India will be conducting surgical strikes sooner rather than later.

The statements by the Indian army chief are being taken seriously by Pakistan. “This escalation at the LoC and the working boundary is an attempt to divert the attention of the international community from Indian atrocities in Indian-held Kashmir (IHK). Pakistan maintains that the role of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) which has the mandate to monitor the ceasefire violations at the LoC and the working boundary in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions, is crucial to ensure peace and tranquility at the LoC,” the document said.

It said that Pakistan has always extended full cooperation to the UNMOGIP. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has regularly lodges demarches with the Indian High Commission over the ceasefire violations and resultant deaths. “Our missions around the world also highlight the deteriorating situation on the LoC and the working boundary which is a threat to regional peace in their respective capitals. The issue is also forcefully highlighted at the multilateral forums, such as the United Nations and the Human Rights Council,” it said.

In January 2018, ambassadors/heads of mission of resident missions in Islamabad were briefed by the foreign minister, foreign secretary, chief of general staff (CGS), DGMO and the Military Intelligence director general in the ministry on the unprecedented escalation of Indian ceasefire violations at the LoC and the working boundary and its implications for regional stability, the document says.

In 2017, the foreign secretary along with the DGMO briefed the heads of missions of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (P5) on ceasefire violations. “The foreign minister addressed a letter to India’s external affairs minister, expressing grave concerns that the loss of innocent civilian’ lives due to Indian ceasefire violations. He urged the Indian minister to take measures to put an end to these unprovoked ceasefire violations, however, the response from India was not positive.”

The statement said that the foreign dignitaries were regularly briefed on these violations. “We have been demanding restraint from India as this escalation damages to peace in the region,” the official record suggested.