On Monday, the Indian Army allegedly opened fire along the Line of Control (LoC) in Nikial Sector without provocation, killing a 60-year-old civilian.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) reports that the victim, named Ghias, was from the village of Oli in the Koti area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Three women who were working in the fields as grass cutters were also traumatized by the event.
As reported by the ISPR, a 62-year-old man was killed by “unprovoked” Indian fire when he was mowing grass near the LoC (the de facto border between India and Pakistan) in Kashmir’s Kotli district. This claim was corroborated by Superintendent of Police Riaz Mughal.
There has been a flagrant breach of the Ceasefire Understandings by Indian aggression. The military’s media arm insisted, “Pakistan wants peace and tranquility at its borders, but we will take all necessary measures to protect the life and property of our citizens.”
See also: India’s dissatisfaction reflected in ceasefire violations, says DG ISPR
Any “misadventure against the people of Pakistan will be befittingly responded to at the time and place of our choosing,” the ISPR threatened.
Since the two neighbors resumed their peace in the contested territory in February 2021, this is the second known ceasefire breach occurrence.
Along the Line of Control in June, the Indian Army opened fire on a group of shepherds without provocation. According to the ISPR, two people sacrificed themselves in the Sattwal sector near the LoC, and another was severely injured.
Later, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in the Indian Charge d’ Affaires to lodge a formal protest over the ceasefire breach by Indian soldiers.
After secret negotiations in February 2021, the two countries agreed to extend their ceasefire.
The process had reached a standstill, but the ceasefire had held thus far. Some incidents occurred during the ceasefire, but they were resolved through the parties’ usual channels. (Reuters was consulted on this)
