PRESS RELEASE

Pakistan takes up Indian ceasefire violations issue at the UN Security Council;
Maleeha Lodhi writes letter to President, UN Security Council

New York, 05 September, 2015

Pakistan has written a letter to the President of the United Nations Security Council on Friday requesting the Council to take notice of provocative Indian actions along the Line of Control in Kashmir and the Working Boundary.

The letter also asked the President of the Security Council, Ambassador Vitaly Churkin of the Russian Federation, to urge India to exercise restraint. She asked the Security Council to urge India to abide by the 2003 Ceasefire Arrangement

Raising the issue of ceasefire violations by India at the highest levels of the United Nations, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative, in the letter to the President, gave details of breaches of the ceasefire, and pointed out that there had been a spike in such violence in the last couple of months, resulting in several civilian casualties and injuries to many more.

These violations have involved the use of small arms as well as heavy mortar fire, and had targeted innocent civilians, including women and children.

She requested the President to circulate the letter as an official document of the Security Council.

During July 2015, Indian security forces committed 36 violations of the ceasefire, resulting in 5 civilians being killed and 6 injured. In August 2015, the number increased significantly, with ceasefire violations reaching 90, leading to 20 civilians being killed and 97 injured.

Over the past several weeks, Pakistan has been raising the issue of violations by India along the LoC in Kashmir and the Working Boundary at the UN with top officials in the Departments of Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Operations.

Earlier, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi briefed the senior UN leadership, including Deputy Secretary General, Jan Eliasson, about India’s provocative actions deliberately targeting the civilian population and called for the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to investigate these violations.

In her meeting with Jan Eliasson, Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi had informed him of India’s rejection of dialogue by setting pre-conditions for the first ever official talks between the National Security Advisers of the two countries, which led to the cancellation of the meeting. Earlier India had also cancelled the Foreign Secretary level talks last year. Pakistan remained committed to peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues, including Jammu and Kashmir.

She also briefed him of India’s persistent firing across the Line of Control and the Working Boundary.