Pak summons Indian envoy over ‘unprovoked firing’

Islamabad, September 29

Pakistan on Thursday summoned Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale over "unprovoked firing" by India in which two Pakistani soldiers were killed.

Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry "condemned the unprovoked firing by" Indian forces on the Line of Control (LoC) in which two Pakistani soldiers were killed, Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

"These incidents are a continuation of a pattern of ceasefire violations committed by India. He (Chaudhry) conveyed that the Armed Forces of Pakistan will continue to give a befitting response to any act of aggression," the statement said.

Earlier, Pakistan rejected as "baseless" the Indian Army's claim that it had carried out "surgical strikes" inside the country.

While summoning Bambawale at the Foreign Office, the Foreign Secretary claimed that India has "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 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 Office said.

Chaudhry claimed that Pakistan remains a "victim of interference" and "state-sponsored terrorism".

In this regard, he referred to the "confession statement of serving Indian Naval Officer, Kulbushan Jadhav", whom Pakistan has accused of "carrying out terrorist and subversive activities, especially in Balochistan and Karachi".

The Foreign Secretary also expressed Pakistan's deep disappointment at India's decision not to participate in the SAARC Summit.

For its part, Pakistan is committed to the objective of regional cooperation, envisaged in the SAARC charter, he said.

Chaudhry also conveyed to Bambawale, Pakistan's deep concerns over "life threats to Pakistan's High Commissioner in New Delhi" and urged the Indian government to ensure his safety and security and that of other officials and their families, in accordance with the Vienna Convention. — PTI