- Pakistan protests killing of 11 people and injuries to 46 others by Indian BSF on villages along Sialkot Working Boundary
- With PM, NSA directing top officials to take up matter with India, Defence Minister Asif tells India ‘there is no space for a limited war’
Pakistan’s top leadership on Friday took serious notice of ceasefire violation by the Indian Border Security Forces (BSF) after as many as 11 civilians were martyred and 46, including 22 women, were seriously injured due to unprovoked intensified mortar shelling on border villages in Sucheetgarh, Chaprar, Bajra Garhi, Harpal, Merajkey ,Umeraanwali and Charwah sectors of Sialkot Working Boundary (WB).
Indian High Commissioner Dr TCA Raghavan was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the latest ceasefire violations and directed the Foreign Office (FO) and defence authorities to take up the matter with their Indian counterparts.
Warning India against incessant ceasefire violations, Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, “There is no space for a limited war. Any attack on us will depend on Pakistan’s choice of response and timing.”
Moreover, Adviser to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has also urged India to stop ceasefire violations forthwith and restore peace and tranquility at the Line of Control and the WB.
INDIAN AGGRESSION:
Firing by the Indian side started at around 2330 hours Thursday night, when Pakistani troops confronted India for using an excavator, near the Working Boundary without following the established SOPs. Pakistani troops initially exercised restraint, however later responded befittingly when India started heavy firing. The firing ended Friday at 1100 hours.
The Indian BSF also targeted the ambulances and not allowed them to reach border villages for shifting the injured to the Sialkot Combined Military Hospital (CMH). However, the Rescue 1122 Sialkot set up a medical camp at bordering village Daallowali-Sialkot from where the injured were shifted to Sialkot CMH.
According to residents of Sialkot city and surrounding areas, the entire region was jolted with a loud thunder of the heavy mortar shells.
According to Sialkot District Coordination Officer (DCO) Dr Asif Tufail, the locals were sleeping in their homes when the Indian BSF started unprovoked intensified mortar shelling on border villages, killing at least 11 civilians on the spot besides injuring 46 others.
Tufail added that five people were killed by Indian shelling in Sialkot border village Kundanpur-Sucheetgarh. Mehmood Aslam, Tasleem Ashraf, Shehzad, Waqas and Irshad Bibi were killed when the Indian mortar shells hit their houses, killing them on spot before the Fajr prayers.
In Sucheetgarh, Naseem Ahmed was killed by Indian shelling while he was sitting in the courtyard of his house.
Moreover, Pakistan Army’s retired Subedar Zulfiqar was killed and his young son Zeeshan, 15, was seriously injured as some heavy mortar shells fired by Indian BSF hit them in their house at border village Bajra Garhi along the Sialkot WB.
The injured include Nabeela, 35, her husband Muhammad Javaid, 45, son of Ghulam Rasul, Nainaan, 12, daughter of Arif, Ameer Ali, 5, son of Muhammad Imran, Ali, 15, son of Muhammad Haneef, Zeeshan Zulfiqar, Tasleem, 48, son of Muhammad Ashraf, Nazir, son of Lal Din, Rashid Muneer, Azra Waqas, 26, Zainab, daughter of Yaqub, Imtiaz Sadiq, Haseena, 10, daughter of Ghulam Sarwar, Namreena, Muhammad Bashir, Ghulam Hussain, Allah Rakha, Muhammad Akram, Khalid Bibi, Parveen Bibi, Nusrat Iqbal, Mehak Ali, Jameela Bibi, Basheeran Bibi, Sakeena Bibi, Nasira Khatoon, Bushra Parveen, Khursheed Bibi, Uzma Bibi, Saraya Bibi, Mehmooda Bibi, Naheed Bibi, Nasreen Iqbal, Razia Bibi and Gulshan Bibi. They were shifted to Sialkot CMH by Rescue 1122 Sialkot, where the condition of most of the injured was stated to be critical.
The Sialkot DCO stated that the Indian BSF targeted the civilian population in villages Kundanpur, Kanganpur, Thathi Kalan, Thathi Khurd, Thathi Gujjaraan, Meenderwal, Umeraanwali, Harpal, Khuraaney, Joyiaan , Bajra Grahi ,Anula, Seelam, Harnaawali, Charwah, Dhabula , Chaprar, Saalehpur, Resmaan, Suhailpura, Beli Minhasaan and surrounding villages.
Furthermore, Sialkot DCO said that all the government and private educational institutions have been closed in Sialkot border villages. He added that the district administration of Sialkot has established as many as three relief, medical and veterinary camps at village Daallowali-Sialkot, three kilometers away from Indian shelling hit border village Kundanpur.
According to the officials concerned of Sialkot district government, more than 225 houses were badly damaged by this Indian shelling while as many as 25 cattle were killed and 60 cattle injured seriously by Indian BSF shelling.
Previously, on August 18, a local villager Muhammad Shareef, 60, son of Allah Wadaya was martyred in unprovoked intensified heavy mortar shelling by Indian BSF in Sialkot border village Thathi Khurd of Sucheetgarh Sector.
On August 04, as many as three Pakistani citizens were martyred and 23 other persons including eight women and six children were injured by the unprovoked intensified mortar heavy mortar shelling in Bajwat Sector.
On July 16, as many as three Pakistani citizens Rahat Mehmood, Muhammad Boota and Ghulam Mustafa were martyred and five other persons including two women were injured by the unprovoked shelling by Indian BSF in Chaprar Sector.
