ISLAMABAD: Pakistan summoned the Indian ambassador to Islamabad on Friday to protest against the death of another Pakistani soldier in what it said was a second cross-border attack from Indian troops in Kashmir.
A press release issued by the Pakistani Foreign Office on Friday said that Foreign Secretary Jalil Abbas Jilani had summoned the Indian High Commissioner of to the foreign office and lodged a “strong protest on the repeated, unacceptable and unprovoked attacks on Pakistani soldiers by the Indian army”.
According to the release, the Pakistani foreign secretary asked India to “thoroughly investigate the repeated violations of the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) by Indian troops”, reiterating the offer to hold an independent inquiry through the United Nations Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).
Indian troops shot dead another Pakistani soldier at Hotspring on the LoC on Thursday, said Pakistan.
It was the third deadly incident and fourth death reported in five days in the disputed Himalayan region, which is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but ruled in part by each.
On Tuesday, India said two of its soldiers were killed by Pakistani troops and one of them was beheaded. Pakistan denied any responsibility.
The Pakistani army had earlier accused India of killing one of its soldiers and wounding another in a cross-border attack on Sunday. India said its troops had opened fire following a Pakistani mortar attack, but denied they crossed the border.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority territory, has been the cause of two of their three wars since independence from Britain in 1947.
A ceasefire has been in force along the LoC since 2003 despite sporadic violations on both sides.
Despite the recent killings, both countries have appeared determined to prevent the violence from wrecking a fragile peace process, which resumed in 2011.
In the statement issued Friday, the foreign office also emphasized that “such unprovoked attacks were against the spirit of the ongoing peace process”.
“These attacks not only vitiate the atmosphere but also create unnecessary and avoidable distractions in our efforts towards the peace process,” said the foreign office. “Pakistan reiterates its commitment to a peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues through a sustained and result-oriented dialogue with India.”
