A day after India and Pakistan traded charges about firing across the Line of Control (LoC), the Foreign Office on Monday registered a protest with the Indian High Commission here on the “unprovoked Indian attack on a Pakistani post.”
Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gopal Bagle was called to the Foreign Office and handed over a protest note on the firing in the Haji Pir sector. According to Pakistan, it resulted in the death of one soldier and injuries to another.
“The Indian Government was strongly urged to take appropriate measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents,” a statement put out by the Foreign Office said.
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Meanwhile, the media wing of the Pakistan military — the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) — sought to keep the issue alive on the social media by posting details about the attack on Facebook and Twitter. Putting out its narrative on what happened in the Haji Pir Pass in the early hours of Sunday, ISPR said Indian soldiers violated the LoC and “physically raided a checkpost at Sawan Patra.” Further, according to ISPR, “Pakistan Army troops effectively responded to the attack. The Indian troops retreated, leaving behind a gun and a dagger, and an exchange of fire was continuing.”
This alleged violation of the ceasefire agreement between the two countries came a day after the chairman of United Jihad Council and Hizbul Mujahideen ‘Supreme Commander’ Syed Salahuddin said at a press conference in Muzaffarabad that the only way to resolve the Kashmir issue was through jihad. In the past, the Haji Pir Pass has been used by terrorists to enter the Indian side of Kashmir; a fact conceded by Pakistani analysts.