Islamabad: Pakistan on Friday lodged a strong protest with India, the third in as many days, over the alleged ceasefire violations by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC).
The Foreign Office summoned Indian Deputy High Commissioner Gaurav Ahluwalia and condemned the unprovoked firing in the Lipa and Battal sectors in which one security personnel and two civilians were killed.
FO spokesperson Mohammad Faisal urged the Indian side to instruct its forces to respect the ceasefire, in letter and spirit and maintain peace on the Line of Control and the Working Boundary.
He said the Indian side should permit UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.
India maintains that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the LoC.
According to a statement, the Indian forces have continuously violated the 2003 ceasefire arrangement targeting innocent civilians.
"The ceasefire violations by India are a threat to regional peace and security and may lead to a strategic miscalculation," the spokesperson added.
Pakistan's military claimed on Friday that its another soldier was killed by Indian troops in Buttal town, taking the death toll of those killed in the firing to six.
Pakistan summoned Ahluwalia on Wednesday and Thursday to lodge protest against alleged ceasefire violations by Indian troops.
India rejects Pak claim of killing 5 Indian soldiers
New Delhi: The Indian Army on Thursday called as "fictitious" the Pakistan military's claim of killing five Indian soldiers during a cross-border firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir.
The response by the Indian Army came after Pakistan military's spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoor claimed that three of its soldiers and five Indian personnel were killed in the cross-border firing.
"The claim by Pakistan is totally baseless and fictitious. We strongly reject the claim," Indian Army spokesperson Col Aman Anand said.
In a tweet, Ghafoor also alleged that the Indian Army has increased firing along the LoC in an effort to divert attention from the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir.
He claimed that a number of bunkers were damaged and "intermittent exchange of fire continues".
There have been reports of the Pakistan army increasing its deployment along the LoC after India's decision to withdraw special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcate the state into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The Indian Army has also strengthened its vigil along the LoC and kept its personnel on high alert to effectively deal with any "misadventure" by Pakistan, a senior military official said.
(With inputs from PTI)
