India summons Pak High Commissioner
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Jan 10, IRNA -- India on Wednesday summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner to convey a 'strong protest' over the Pakistani Army action in which two Indian soldiers were killed and their bodies subjected to 'barbaric and inhuman mutilation' in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan High Commissioner Salman Bashir was summoned by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, who made it clear that these incidents were 'unacceptable' and that Pakistan has to uphold the sanctity of the Line of Control, pti reported quoting to official sources.
During the 30-minute meeting, Bashir was told by Mathai that regular Pakistani soldiers had crossed the LoC at Mendhar sector and engaged with Indian troops who were patrolling this sector.
Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said the Pakistan envoy was 'spoken to in very strong terms' and the deepest concern and protest over the incident was conveyed.
He called the incident 'completely unacceptable'.
Referring to last month's Indo-Pak discussions on conventional CBMs, wherein maintaining the sanctity of the LoC, one of the most important CBMs between the two countries, was emphasised, Khurshid said,'therefore violation of (ceasefire) that itself is something which is a matter of great concern. And that would obviously, if not immediately, contained will have adverse impact on what we have been trying to do for such a long time.'
Khurshid also stressed the need 'to make sure that whatever happened should not be escalated. We cannot and must not allow escalation of this very unwholesome event that has taken place.'
Reacting sharply to the incident, Defence Minister A K Antony said 'Pakistan Army's action is highly provocative. The way they treated the dead bodies of Indian soldiers is inhuman....We are closely following the situation.'
'Two Indian soldiers were killed in the attack and their bodies subjected to barbaric and inhuman mutilation. The government of Pakistan was asked to immediately investigate these actions that are in contravention of international conduct and ensure that these will not recur,' Bashir was conveyed.
Pakistani soldiers had on Tuesday crossed into Indian territory and ambushed an Indian patrol killing two soldiers, one of whom was decapitated.
Army's Additional Director General (Public Information) Major General S L Narasimhan said Northern Army Commander Lt Gen K T Parnaik had visited the scene of action and confirmed that one of the two bodies was mutilated.
Other sources had said yesterday that the heads of both the Indian soldiers -- Lance Naiks, Hemraj and Sudhakar Singh -- have been chopped off and one was taken away by Pakistani intruders.
Besides killing two, they also injured two other soldiers and took away their weapons and other belongings.
Army's Udhampur-based Northern Command had came out with a statement terming the attack as a 'significant escalation' to the continuing series of ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts supported by Pakistan Army.
'A group of their regular soldiers intruded across the Line of Control in the Mendhar Sector on January 8. Pakistan army troops, having taken advantage of thick fog and mist in the forested area, were moving towards our posts when an alert area domination patrol spotted and engaged the intruders,' it had said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan 'strongly rejects the Indian allegation of an attack across the LoC on its military patrol in which two Indian soldiers were claimed to have been killed. These are baseless and unfounded allegations,' a statement issued by its High Commission in New Delhi said.
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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 1044627
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