Pak summons Indian High Commissioner, condemns 'unprovoked' firing on LoC

Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale was on Thursday summoned by the Pakistan Foreign Office following cross-border escalations triggered by surgical strike carried out by the Indian Armed forces.

Pakistan Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry condemned the 'unprovoked' firing by the Indian forces on the Line of Control' which resulted in 'shahadat' (killing) of two Pakistani Armed Forces personnel, and rejected the "baseless" Indian claim of the "so-called" surgical strikes.

Citing these incidents as a "continuation of a pattern of ceasefire violations committed by India", the Foreign Secretary said the Armed Forces of Pakistan would continue to give a befitting response to any act of aggression.

The Foreign Secretary also said, "India deliberately escalated tensions at the LoC in order to divert the attention of the International Community from the grave situation in Kashmir."

The Foreign Secretary also conveyed Pakistan's deep concerns over life threats to Pakistan's High Commissioner B.S. Basit in New Delhi, and urged the Indian Government to ensure the safety and security of Basit and other officials and their families in accordance with the Vienna Convention.

Chaudhry also expressed Pakistan's "deep disappointment" over India's decision not to participate in the SAARC Summit, saying that "it is committed to the objective of regional cooperation, envisaged in the SAARC Charter".

The Foreign Secretary also condemned India's "baseless accusation" against Pakistan for the Uri attack, within a few hours after the incident. He recalled that "it has been a practice in India to blame Pakistan for every such incident but later investigations prove otherwise".

The Foreign Secretary stated that Pakistan remains a victim of "interference and Indian State-sponsored terrorism". In this regard, he referred to the "confession statement of serving Indian Naval Officer, KulbushanYadav, who had been carrying out terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan and Karachi".