ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Friday lodged a strong protest with India over martyrdom of two security officials, urging New Delhi for an immediate investigation into the martyrdom of the two soldiers of Punjab Rangers in Zafarwal Sector and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz wrote a letter to Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to lodge the protest over the killings.
The letter underlined that the unfortunate ambush of the soldiers would undermine mechanisms established by the two countries to ensure peace and tranquillity along the Line of Control and the Working Boundary.
The Adviser’s letter was handed over to the Indian High Commissioner by the Foreign Secretary. Expressing concern at the way the incident took place, the Foreign Secretary said it was not only in contravention to the rules of engagement, but also amounted to breach of trust of Pakistani soldiers in these mechanisms.
The Foreign Secretary also impressed upon the Indian High Commissioner that it was not in Pakistan’s interest to ratchet up tension on the LoC and Working Boundary, since our law-enforcement agencies and Armed Forces were fully engaged in combating terrorism and militancy across the country. The Indian insinuations that Pakistan supported infiltration attempts were, therefore, far removed from reality, he said.
Keeping in view the seriousness of the incident, the Foreign Secretary also briefed the Heads of the Missions of P-5 countries and the EU in Islamabad and emphasised the importance of maintaining ceasefire on the LoC and Working Boundary.
He urged the international community to play its role in asking India to refrain from actions that threaten peace and stability in the region.
On December 31, 2014, the Indian Border Security Force troops invited the personnel of the Punjab Rangers for a flag meeting, but greeted the unsuspecting soldiers with a volley of unprovoked firing, causing severe injuries to two soldiers. The unabated Indian firing denied timely medical attention to the wounded soldiers, who succumbed to their injuries and embraced Shahadat.
Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif as well as the entire nation took serious notice of the condemnable Indian aggression and expressed their shock and anger at the killing of the soldiers in cold blood.
APP adds: The All Parties Conference in Islamabad on Friday also strongly condemned the illegal and unconscionable act of Indian Border Security Force and demanded that Government of India explain the reasons for this barbaric and deceitful act.
The APC resolution took serious notice of the incident on December 31 2014 in which two soldiers of Pakistan Rangers were martyred.
The resolution said that it also expected that those responsible would be held accountable and actions taken against them communicated to the Government of Pakistan.  This cowardly and unethical act of Indian Border Security Force is in complete violation of internationally recognized professional military norms and spirit of agreed border coordination mechanisms, the resolution said.
INDIA DISMISSES PAKISTAN’S
ALLEGATIONS
Monitoring Desk adds: India has rejected as baseless allegations made in a letter to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, by Pakistan’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz, over cross-border firing earlier this week.
In a statement in New Delhi, the Indian Foreign Ministry strongly denied the accusation, reported NDTV.