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ISLAMABAD: The Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah has said that silence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government over Indian aggression along Line of Control (LoC) is a criminal act.

Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah expressed these views while speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Thursday.

“We need to give a befitting response to the Indian aggression. India violated LoC for 230 times to target our Army and civilian people. India should not get an impression to put us on defensive position by targeting civilian population. The entire nation is looking towards the government and Parliament on the matter,” he said.

He said that India wants to disturb peace in the region. He said that as many as 40 soldiers have been martyred while 150 civilians got injured due to the Indian aggression along the LoC.

The Opposition Leader said that India is resorting to aggression for creating panic among Pakistani people and diverting international attention away from atrocities it is committing in Indian Occupied Kashmir.

“Our forces are more powerful than Indian forces. Therefore, after every act of violence, India should be reminded with more force that Pakistani forces are not weaker to anyone,” Shah said.

He said the government should participate in the Heart of Asia Conference if it is not held in India and should make efforts to make global community aware of Indian atrocities against Kashmiri people and its aggression across the LoC.

Responding to points raised by Shah, Minister of States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch assured the National Assembly that India will inconceivably harm itself if it ever tries to commit aggression against Pakistan.

The minister said that Pakistani Armed Forces are not weak in any manner as compared to Indian forces. He said, “Our Armed Forces deployed at the borders are not sitting silent and are giving befitting response to the Indian unprovoked firing along the LoC and Working Boundary.” He added that India is suffering more losses than that of Pakistan.

However, he said that the Indian forces are killing innocent civilians in violation of all international norms. He said, “We are compelled not to target civilians on the other side of the LoC because those civilians include Muslims as well.”

Abdul Qadir Baloch said that the government is making all-out efforts to highlight Indian atrocities in the Occupied Kashmir and unprovoked firing along the LoC, adding the efforts will be further accelerated.

Chairman of Foreign Relations Committee, Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari said the issue of ceasefire violations and killing of civilians by the Indian forces should be raised in the Human Rights Council of the UN Security Council.

Earlier, responding to a calling attention notice moved by Asiya Naz Tanoli and others regarding ever-increasing encroachment upon the land of Capital Development Authority (CDA) by land grabbers, Minister of State for Capital Administration and Development Division, Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary told the House that the Authority is carrying out regular anti-encroachment drives to remove illegal structures.

He said there is a strength of 230 employees of CDA’s encroachment wing and the Prime Minister has also given approval for the recruitment of 400 people in CDA, which will further strengthen anti-encroachment drives.

He said that 2,662 illegal structures have been removed during the current year. He said that a survey of 50 to 60 kanals of land had been carried out to get this land vacated from the land mafia.

State Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary claimed that rural areas of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are also being transformed into model villages with the provision of all basic amenities.