ISLAMABAD: The Indian charge d’affaires was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Office on Monday — for the second time in less than two weeks — to lodge a strong protest over the extrajudicial killing of another Pakistani national in Indian custody in occupied Kashmir.

Tabarak Hussain, a mentally challenged Pakistani who inadvertently crossed into the Naushera area, was under treatment in an Indian army hospital in the Rajouri area of India-held Kashmir (IHK), the FO spokesperson said in a statement.

The Indian diplomat was told to convey to his government Pakistan’s “strong condemnation of the killing of Tabarak Hussain”, who was “mercilessly shot by Indian security forces”.

It is the second such incident in the past 11 days in which two Pakistanis have been shot dead in India-held Kashmir.

Earlier in late August, a similar protest was lodged with India over the extrajudicial killing of a Pakistani prisoner, Muhammad Ali Hussain, by Indian occupation forces in a fake encounter that took place in the Arnia area of IHK. Hussain remained in IHK’s jail since 2006.

On Monday, the Indian charge d’affaires was conveyed Pakistan’s outright rejection of the claim that Tabarak Hussain died of cardiac arrest, as purported by the Indian authorities as well as the mischievous narrative being spun that he had been sent by the Pakistan Army.

“The government of India has been called upon to share the details of this particular incident, including a credible post-mortem report to determine the cause of death and undertake a transparent investigation to bring to account whoever is responsible for the murder of the Pakistani prisoner,” the spokesperson said, adding that “prompt and expeditious repatriation of the mortal remains of the deceased to Pakistan, as per the wishes of his family, was also demanded”.

The diplomat was reminded that the Indian claims held no water, as Tabarak Hussain “being of unsound mental health”, had inadvertently crossed the border in 2016 and had to be repatriated to Pakistan after serving a 26-month long prison term”.

The FO underscored that the incident had further heightened Pakis­tan’s serious concerns over the safety, security and well-being of other Pakist­anis in Indian custody.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2022