Sushma Swaraj turns down Pakistani Foreign Minister call to halt ceasefire
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ISLAMABAD: India has turned down Pakistan’s call for a political intervention to halt ceasefire violations which were resulting in loss of life.
Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif had written a letter to his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj about the ceasefire violations and called for political intervention to de-escalate tensions on the line of control and working boundary.
Asif wrote that the agreed mechanisms of DGMOs’ (director generals of military operations) hotline and border meetings were not working. The situation warrants a political initiative for restoring peace along the LoC and WB, he stressed.
The Foreign Office on Saturday confirmed to have received a reply from Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.
FO spokesperson Dr Faisal said that the Indian side had shown a stubborn attitude. “India only opens fire in response to the incursion,” Swaraj wrote in her response.
The FO spokesperson clarified that India had been asked several times to allow UNMOGIP to monitor the ceasefire violation allegations but India never allowed the observers to work with full freedom on the Indian side.
India has breached the ceasefire agreement on more than 1,300 occasions since the start of this year, he said, adding that 52 civilians have lost their lives, while 175 have been injured.
