UN investigating incident of UNMO vehicle damage along LoC, vehicle hit by unidentified object: UN

The sources said there was no firing from the Indian side in that sector on Friday.

December 19, 2020 12:34 am | Updated 12:34 am IST - United Nations

General view taken as the Secretary General of UN Antonio Guterres (centre) delivers a speech in Berlin on December 18, 2020.

General view taken as the Secretary General of UN Antonio Guterres (centre) delivers a speech in Berlin on December 18, 2020.

The UN is investigating an incident where a vehicle of the United Nations Military Observers (UNMO) in the Chirikot sector along the Line of Control (LoC) was hit by an unidentified object , a spokesperson for the Secretary General said Friday.

“At this stage, I believe that the details we have are in fact that there was no one hurt but there has been a vehicle damaged in an incident and the mission is currently investigating the incident, UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said.

Official sources in New Delhi have said the reports emerging from the Pakistani side regarding attacks on the UN vehicle by Indian troops along the Line of Control are completely false, baseless and factually incorrect.

The sources said there was no firing from the Indian side in that sector on Friday.

Since movements of UN vehicles are known in advance, the question does not arise of any such firing, the sources said, adding the allegations are baseless.

In response to a question by PTI , Mr. Haq said the UN is aware of what both sides have been saying at this stage about the incident.

“We’re simply aware that a vehicle was hit by an unidentified object. Like I said, no one was harmed in this incident but a vehicle sustained some damage, and we are investigating the incident.”

Separately, Indian military sources also rejected the allegation by the Pakistan Army. “Reports of targeting United Nations vehicle are not true,” said a military source.

India maintains that the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan, established in January 1949, has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Shimla agreement and the consequent establishment of the LoC.

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