India summons Pakistan High Commission official, lodges protest

The External Affairs Ministry on Tuesday summoned a senior official of the Pakistan High Commission here and lodged a strong protest over the cross-border infiltration attempt in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday in which two terrorists and three Indian soldiers were killed.

"A senior official in the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs and a demarche was made lodging strong protest at the fatal casualties of Indian soldiers during an attempted cross border infiltration on October 21 by Pakistani terrorists in Sunderbani sector in Jammu and Kashmir," the Ministry said in a statement.

"It was informed that two Pakistani armed intruders have been killed by the Indian security forces during the ensuing firefight and the government of Pakistan (should) take custody of the dead bodies of its nationals.

"The ministry condemned in the strongest terms such provocative action by Pakistan, which reveals their complicity in aiding and abetting terrorism and exposes the hollowness of Pakistan's deceitful claims to promote constructive engagement and desire for peace," the statement said.

On Sunday, the Indian Army engaged a group of heavily armed infiltrators in a fierce gun battle in the Sunderbani sector of the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district.

The Ministry statement also said that India shared its grave grave concern at the continuing incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Pakistan forces along the LoC and the International Border (IB).

"Despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the ceasefire understanding of 2003 for maintaining peace and tranquility, Pakistan forces have carried out 1,591 incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations along the LoC and IB in 2018 so far.

"Pakistan was called on to abide by its bilateral commitment not to allow any territory under its control to be used to support terrorism against India in any manner," the statement said.

--IANS

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