India and Pakistan on Tuesday indulged in mutual recrimination over the firing across the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control even as Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) summoned Deputy High Commissioner of India J.P. Singh.
During the meeting, Mr. Singh lodged a strong protest against Pakistan providing fire cover to infiltration attempts.
Security challenges“India attacks LoC and working boundary. Quetta and Peshawar attacked from Afghanistan. IK (Imran Khan) preparing to attack Islamabad. Accidental coordination?,” said Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja M. Abbas on Twitter, connecting various security and political challenges that the government of Pakistan is facing at present.
“We told Pakistani officials that unprovoked firing from Pakistani forces has led to casualties on the Indian side and that we are aware that the firing and shelling from the Pakistani side is carried out to hide infiltration attempts across the International Border and LoC,” said a highly placed diplomatic source about the Indian response to Pakistan’s accusations on Tuesday.
However, Pakistan also accused India of firing which killed two civilians and a child.
Call for probe“It was conveyed to the Indian side that it should investigate the incident and share the findings with Pakistan, instruct its troops to respect the Ceasefire in letter and spirit, and refrain from intentionally targeting the villages,” a press release from MOFA spokesperson said.
The meeting with Mr. Singh was the second in less than a week on the issue. MOFA had summoned him on October 20 to protest the crossfire between the two sides.
High Commissioner Abdul Basit had echoed the Pakistani position on ceasefire violation by India on Monday and demanded formalisation of the ceasefire agreement India sealed with the Musharraf government in 2003.
