UNITED NATIONS: Pakistani Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi told the UN peacekeepingchief on Thursday that the steep rise in Indian violations of the Line ofControl (LoC) in Kashmir was ‘alarming’ amid the heightened tensionsbetween Islamabad and New Delhi, and proposed that the UN Military Group inIndia and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) be strengthened and expanded to help keeppeace and stability in the disputed region.
The Pakistani envoy made the proposal during her farewell call on theUnder-Secretary General for peacekeeping, La Croix, at UN headquarters inNew York, according to official sources.
Ambassador Lodhi highlighted the fact that Pakistan was a host to UNMOGIP,one of the oldest missions whose role, she said, has become even moresignificant due to the recent Indian ‘aggressive actions’ on the LoC,especially since New Delhi’s illegal annexation of Occupied Jammu andKashmir on August 5, when New Delhi placed the disputed state under alockdown which is still continuing.
In 2018, she added, Indian forces committed more than 3,000 ceasefireviolations resulting in the martyrdom of 58 civilians while countlessothers sustained injuries.
“This dangerous trend continues unabated in the current year; in 2019, 2608ceasefire violations have been committed by Indian forces, causing 44deaths”, the sources quoted the Pakistani envoy as saying.
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During the meeting, she also renewed Pakistan’s pledge to remain active ina leadership role in the world body’s flagship enterprise aimed atpromoting peace and stability around the globe.
As one of the world’s top contributors to UN Peacekeeping, Pakistan hassince 1960 contributed 200,000 troops and served in 46 missions in 28countries around the world.
Currently, Pakistan has 5,060 troops serving in nine missions, mostly inAfrica, under the blue flag of the UN.
