4 soldiers martyred in wanton firing at LoC

RAWALPINDI: As many as four soldiers of Pakistan Army have been martyred when Indian forces opened unprovoked fire across the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir Monday morning.

According to the army's media wing, ISPR, the soldiers were working on lines communication maintenance in the Jandrot and Kotli sectors of Azad Jammu and Kashmir when they were attacked with heavy mortar fire.

The firing left all four soldiers dead.

According to the ISPR, the Pakistan Army responded to the attack and killed three Indian soldiers and injured many others.

India frequently opens unprovoked fire across the LoC, resulting in the martyrdom of civilians and army officials.

On December 25, 2017, three Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred as Indian forces opened fire along the LoC's Rakhchikri sector.

One other soldier was injured in the unprovoked firing.

According to the Foreign Office, India committed 70 ceasefire violations in the first 12 days of the year and 1,900 in 2017.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has strongly condemned the unprovoked firing by Indian security forces along LOC resulting in martyrdom of 4 security personnel of Pakistan. 

The Prime Minister paid tribute to the sacrifices of the security personnel for the motherland.

Meanwhile, Pakistan on Monday summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh and lodged formal protest over the recent unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Indian forces, which martyred four soldiers, the foreign ministry said. A foreign ministry statement said the Indian forces "used heavy mortars" on 15 January 2018 along the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Kashmir in Jandrot sub sector of Kotli Sector resulting in the 'shahadat' of 4 Pakistani soldiers, while injuring 5 others.

The army said earlier that three Indian soldiers were also killed when Pakistani forces returned fire.

The Director General at the South Asian Desk at the foreign ministry Mohammad Faisal, who summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner, condemned the "unprovoked ceasefire violations."

Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire along the LoC and Working Boundary in 2003. However, India forces are involved in ceasefire violations.

"Despite calls for restraint, India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations. In 2018, the Indian forces have carried out more than 100 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary in just 15 days," a foreign ministry statement said.

"This unprecedented escalation in ceasefire violations by India is continuing from the year 2017 when the Indian forces committed more than 1900 ceasefire violations," it further said.

The statement said the "deliberate targeting of civilian populated areas and troops carrying out maintenance activities 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," according to the foreign ministry.

The Director General urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire arrangement; investigate this 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.

He urged the Indian side should permit UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

Meanwhile, Minister for Defence, Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan Monday strongly condemned Indian unprovoked firing at the Line of Control (LoC) at Jandrot, Kotli sector.

In a message issued here, the minister expressed grief at the martyrdom of four Pakistani soldiers.

He said that by engaging Pakistani troops at the LoC India could not divert its (Pakistan's) attention from the war against terrorism. He said India should remember that if Pakistan could defeat terrorism then it was also fully capable of tackling Indian violations.

He said that Pakistani soldiers were in high spirits and the entire nation was at their back. - NNI