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Pakistan writes to India to protest Shakargarh firing
* Letter calls for an immediate investigation into incident and bringing perpetrators to accountISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Friday wrote a letter to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to lodge protest on the killing of two soldiers of the Punjab Rangers in Zafarwal Sector.
Condemning the action of the Indian Border Security Force (BSF), the adviser in his letter lodged Pakistan’s strong protest with India, calling for an immediate investigation into the incident and bringing the perpetrators to account. The letter underlined that the regrettable ambush of the soldiers would undermine mechanisms established by the two countries to ensure peace and tranquillity along the Line of Control (LoC) and the Working Boundary (WB).
Sartaj’s letter was handed over to Indian High Commissioner Dr Raghavan by Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry. Expressing concern at the way the incident had taken place, the foreign secretary underlined that the incident was not only in contravention to the rules of engagement, but also amounted to breach the 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 along the LoC and WB, since the 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 added.
On December 31, 2014, the Indian BSF troops invited the personnel of the Punjab Rangers for a flag meeting, but greeted the unsuspecting soldiers with a volley of unprovoked fire, causing severe injuries to two soldiers. The unabated Indian firing denied timely medical attention to the wounded soldiers, who succumbed to their injuries.
Prime Minister 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.
Keeping in view the seriousness of the incident, the foreign secretary also briefed the Heads of the Missions of P-5 countries and the European Union (EU) in Islamabad and emphasised the importance of maintaining ceasefire along the LoC and WB. He stressed the urgency of the international community to play its role in counselling India to refrain from actions that threatened peace and stability in the region.
The New Year’s beginning was marked with mounting Pak-India hostility after Islamabad on Thursday rejected New Delhi’s concerns over the grant of bail to alleged mastermind behind Mumbai attacks and expressed its dismay over not sharing on part of India the findings of Samjhota Express terrorist attack. “The investigations and the confession of the mastermind of the attack, Swami Aseemanad, pointed to the involvement of the Indian military officers and some organisations linked to major political parties.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk