Islamabad: The Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) has condemned recurring incidents of firing on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir and in some borders.
The forum’s Pakistan chapter chairperson I.A. Rehman and Indian chapter’s co-chairpersons Anuradha Bhasin Jamwal and Asha Hans have issued a joint statement from Lahore.
On Saturday, the official Pakistani media reported a new incident of cross-LoC firing by Indian troops, which resulted in a civilian getting wounded.
The PIPFP joint statement said though the issue of ceasefire violations was highlighted in the July 10 meeting of the prime ministers of the two countries in Ufa, Russia, there was “still a lack of political will from both sides in addressing it.”
The forum said in the last two years, there had been nearly 800 recorded incidents of ceasefire violations in the border areas between India and Pakistan and 11 such incidences in July alone.
The recent incidents last week caused casualties on both sides, the statement said, adding the ceasefire violations have adversely impacted the lives of people living in border areas.
Schools are regularly suspended and turned into relief camps until peace is restored and these camps are in a dismal condition, the forum said.
“The armed forces and the media of both countries indulge in irresponsible blame-game and trade of allegations, which ultimately harm only the citizens and lead to escalation of conflict,” it said.
Immediate meeting of national security advisers of both the countries should be held as decided in Ufa and a structured dialogue between India and Pakistan should be resumed., the forum stressed.
There should be deeper discussions and deliberations on the ceasefire agreement of 2003 and its relevance in the current context within civil and political circles, the forum said.
