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The Statesman

Publication Date : 10-01-2013

In the wake of the killing of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani army troops on Indian territory near the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, the foreign ministry summoned the Pakistan High Commissioner to India, Salman Barshid, to lodge a strong protest.

Pakistan, meanwhile, issued a statement denying the accusations.

Bashir met Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai yesterday to lodge a strong protest on the actions of the Pakistan Army on January 8. India also called upon the Pakistan government to “immediately investigate these actions that are in contravention of all norms of international conduct and ensure that these do not recur”.

Pakistan issued a press release denying the charges, saying the allegations are “baseless and unfounded”. They upped the ante further by offering to hold investigations through the United Nations Military Observers Group for India and Pakistan on the recent ceasefire violations on the LoC. Pakistan went on to reiterate its commitment to the ceasefire agreement of 2003.

The Indian Army also lodged its own protest over the incident at the meeting of the Directors-General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the two countries this morning. Even as the Pakistan army denied its involvement in the killing, the DGMO told the Pakistan side that the “action has been carried out by regular troops of Pakistan Army”.

Defence minister A K Antony (photo), who was in Kolkata, said there is “clear evidence” of involvement of its (Pakistan) troops behind the killing of two Indian soldiers whose bodies were also mutilated, an action he described as “inhuman”. “That it happened there is a reality. There is clear evidence to it. It is a highly provocative action on the part of the Pakistan army,” Antony said. “The way they treated the dead bodies of the Indian soldiers is inhuman,” he added.

At the meeting of the DGMOs Lt-Gen. Vinod Bhatia and his Pakistani counterpart Lt-Gen Ashfaq Nadeem Ahmed, the Indian side gave details of the incident and lodged a strong protest.  An Army spokesman said the Pakistani DGMO denied that his troops had crossed the Line of Control and carried out any action. The Pakistan side also raised the issue of firing by Indian troops at Haji Pir last week, which was countered by the Indian side, saying that it was started by Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the bodies of Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh have been taken to their villages-- Shernagar in Mathura district in UP and Darhia village near Churhat in Sidhi district.