“Soldiers of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) have violated the ceasefire at the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary with Pakistan 221 times so far in the year 2015”, officials said earlier today.
Briefing a session of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence being chaired by Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed today, officials of the interior ministry said that the ceasefire pact signed by the two neighbouring countries in 2003 had been violated by Indian forces a total of 89 times in the last month of August alone.
26 Pakistani citizens were martyred and 78 injured in cross-border shelling and violations this year by Indian security forces, who officials said were intentionally target Pakistani civilian population near the border.
The interior ministry officials further testified that Pakistani forces do not target the Indian civilian population, but respond to aggression by targeting Indian security posts.
Following the briefing, the standing committee passed a resolution urging the United Nations and international community to take notice of Indian aggression and the continued ceasefire violations by its border forces at the LoC and Working Boundary.
The briefing to the senate standing committee comes as a 16-member delegation led by DG Punjab Rangers Major-General Umar Farooq Burki is visiting New Delhi for talks with officials of the Indian Border Security Force
According to reports from Indian media, the talks have been extended for one day in order to devise new strategies to put an end to incidents of ceasefire violations along the LoC. A report in an Indian newspaper said both sides have agreed to maintain peace at the LoC and Working Boundary.
The talks are expected to continue until tommorow at least.
