RAWALPINDI: A day after three Pakistani soldiers were martyred in unprovoked Indian firing, another soldier of the Pakistan Army was martyred on Friday in firing from across the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Major General Asif Ghafoor said.
In an early-morning Twitter post, Ghafoor said: “Sepoy Muhammad Sheeraz embraced shahadat due to Indian firing in Buttal Sector along LOC”.
Another brave son of soil laid his life in the line of duty. Sepoy Muhammad Sheeraz embraced shahadat due to Indian firing in Buttal Sector along LOC. pic.twitter.com/BAozVnsuGY
— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) August 16, 2019
Following the incident, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Mohammad Faisal summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia at the Foreign Office and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian forces.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, he urged the Indian side to instruct its forces to respect the ceasefire and maintain peace on the LoC and the working boundary. He also urged that India should permit the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions, the statement read.
The incident comes a day after at least three soldiers were martyred in unprovoked Indian firing along the Line of Control (LoC), as Pakistan marked Aug 15 – the independence day of India – as a black day across the country.
According to a previous ISPR statement issued on Thursday, the Pakistan Army effectively retaliated, killing five Indian soldiers, wounding several, and destroying several of their bunkers along the LoC. The martyred soldiers were Lance Naik Taimoor, Naik Tanveer, and Sepoy Ramazan.
The chief military spokesperson added that the Indian army had increased firing along the LoC as part of “efforts to divert attention from [the] precarious situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir”.
In efforts to divert attention from precarious situation in IOJ&K,Indian Army increases firing along LOC.
3 Pakistani soldiers embraced shahadat. Pakistan Army responded effectively. 5 Indian soldiers killed, many injured, bunkers damaged. Intermittent exchange of fire continues. pic.twitter.com/wx1RoYdiKE— DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) August 15, 2019
The development at a time when tensions between the two neighboring countries have touched an all-time high since the Pulwama incident in February this year.
To express solidarity with Kashmiris, the Indian Independence Day was observed as ‘Black Day’ across the country and LoC – in occupied Kashmir. The decision to dedicate Independence Day to the Kashmiris and their just struggle for their right of self-determination was made during a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting on August 7.
The ‘Black Day’ was observed in protest against the Indian move to abrogate Article 370 of its constitution and strip occupied Kashmir of its special status through a rushed presidential decree on August 5.
National flags flew at half-mast and black flags were hoisted across the country, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), in protest to nefarious Indian designs to destroy regional stability in addition to protest rallies.
Major rallies were organised in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, and Peshawar. The participants of the rallies, carrying Pakistan and Kashmiri flags, vowed to support Kashmiris of the occupied region in their right to self-determination.
