PM Nawaz warns India of befitting response if ceasefire violations continue

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday said Pakistan would give a befitting response if Indian ceasefire violations at the Line of Control (LoC) and Working Boundary continued.

The prime minister condemned unprovoked firing by Indian forces, stating that precious lives were lost and civilians had been injured.

Prime Minister Sharif said Pakistan was showing restraint to every possible extent, but attempts for peace should not be considered weakness.  The prime minister added that Pakistan was a peace loving country and believed in solving conflicts through talks.

Indian ceasefire violations continue

India continues to violate the ceasefire agreement at the LoC and Working Boundary. On Thursday, at least five civilians were injured in unprovoked Indian firing at Harpal and Charprar sectors, which was befittingly responded to by Pakistan Rangers, ISPR said in a statement.

On Wednesday, two civilians embraced martyrdom while eight villagers were injured as a result of Indian firing at Charpar sector.

Since October 21, four civilians have been martyred while 21 have been injured at the Working Boundary due to firing by Indian army.

Since the Uri attack in occupied Kashmir, Indian forces have consistently violated the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan. On September 29, India claimed to have conducted surgical strikes in Azad Kashmir, saying that several terrorists were killed in the military action conducted inside Pakistani territory.

The claims were not only rebuffed by Pakistan and the international media, but they also prompted demands from some Indian political leaders for New Delhi to substantiate it with evidence.

The Modi government drew criticism after the Pakistani military took a bus full of local and international journalists to the border area in order to show them the ground facts.

After having failed to substantiate the claims, PM Narendra Modi on October 5 barred leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party from talking to anyone over the strikes.

Pakistan remains committed to Kashmir cause

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif paying homage to the sacrifices of Kashmiri people in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK), reiterated Pakistan’s unflinching and steadfast moral, diplomatic and political support for the just cause of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said support would continue till the realization of the lawful right to self-determination of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

In a message on the occasion of observance of Kashmir Black Day, the Prime Minister said in the wake of extra-judicial killing of young icon of Kashmir freedom struggle Burhan Wani on July 8, the brutality of the Indian occupation forces had been intensified.

“They have shed away all norms of humanity and civility in committing the worst form of state terrorism against the defenseless and hapless masses of IoK with the misplaced perception that they can crush the legitimate Kashmir struggle,” he added.

The Prime Minister said the Indian occupation forces were slaughtering civilians with complete impunity and were supported by the whole Indian state machinery in this gruesome crime against humanity.

“The obdurate use, without any restraint or a hint of remorse, of live ammunition and pellet guns by Indian occupation forces against the defenseless masses, is highly contemptible and condemnable in strongest possible terms,” he added.

Prime Minister Sharif further said the Indian barbarism was highly deplorable and against the norms of humanity.

He said Oct 27, 1947 marked one of the darkest chapters of human history, which gave birth to a grave human tragedy in the Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IoK).
On this day, 68 years ago the Indian forces landed in Srinagar to occupy, subjugate, oppress, and terrorize the innocent people of the Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir, he said, adding this pattern of brutalities continued with impunity even today.

The Prime Minister said despite commitments to the international community and numerous resolutions of the UN Security Council on Jammu & Kashmir, the Indian government had unleashed a reign of terror in IoK and remains recalcitrant to fulfill its commitments.

The continuous curfew for over hundred days has made the lives of innocent Kashmiris miserable, he said.

To add to the unimaginable sufferings of the oppressed masses, the Indian government had created deliberate shortage of essential foods supplies, medicines, baby food, petroleum products and other basic amenities, he added.

The Prime Minister noted that the current episode of Indian brutalities was nothing new in IoK. It was only a vivid illustration of a consistent pattern of state oppression, massacres, genocide, and atrocities being continued by the Indian occupation forces in IoK for the last 68 years.

“The valiant, brave and courageous people of Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir deserve admiration by the people of Pakistan and the entire freedom loving humanity for showing unprecedented resilience in facing the savage use of force by India,” he added.

The Prime Minister said the people of IoK had not moved back an inch from their principled demand of exercise of their legitimate right to self-determination in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions.

Stressing upon the Indian government to read the writing on the wall, he reminded it to implement the pending UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu & Kashmir for amicable resolution of this long outstanding dispute.

It had lost permanently and irretrievably the hearts and minds of the people of Indian occupied Jammu & Kashmir, he added

“The only peaceful, plausible, logical, and conceivable solution to the Kashmir dispute, which is also consistent with the international law and norms, is the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir,” he observed.

The Prime Minister further said the only possible explanation of India’s adamant refusal to implement these resolutions could be the certainty that the verdict of people of Jammu and Kashmir in such a plebiscite would be against it.

However, more than 1.5 billion people of the region deserved to see the dawn of peace and prosperity which had been held hostage to the gross, consistent and systematic violations of human rights in IoK, in complete disregard to the UN Security Council resolutions.

 

-Additional reporting from APP