Pakistan summons Indian envoy over cross-border killing

Pakistan on Tuesday summoned a senior Indian diplomat and lodged protest over the killing of three soldiers in a latest incident of cross-border firing, officials said.

Pakistan army said late Monday that three soldiers were killed in "unprovoked firing" by Indian forces on the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region.

Mohammad Faisal, who heads the South Asian affairs at the Foreign Ministry summoned the Indian Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh and condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violation by the Indian occupation forces on February 13.

"The deliberate targeting of civilians and soldiers is indeed condemnable and contrary to human dignity and international human rights and humanitarian laws," a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The Director General urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations, instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit, and maintain peace on the LoC, the statement said.

There has been escalation along the LoC, the de facto border, between the two countries in the disputed Kashmir region, since suspected militants killed 19 soldiers in the Indian-controlled Kashmir in September.

The Indian military blamed the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad group for the attack saying Pakistan was behind the attack, but Islamabad rejected the charges and suggested independent investigation.

Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire in 2003, however, firing exchanges do take place from time to time and the cross-LoC firing has increased in recent days.

Both countries accuse each other of ceasefire violations. Endit