India lodges strong protest with Pakistan over killing of 3 soldiers along LoC

New Delhi, Oct 23 India summoned a senior official of the Pakistan High Commission here Tuesday and held up a solid challenge over the loss of lives of three of its officers amid a penetration offered by Pakistani terrorists in the Sunderbani area of Jammu and Kashmir two days back.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), in a statement, said it also censured in the strongest terms such a provocative action by Pakistan, which revealed the neighboring nation's complicity in supporting and abetting terrorism and exposed the hollowness of its deceitful claims of promoting a constructive engagement with India and desire for peace.

The Pakistan High Commission official was called to the MEA and a demarche was made, lodging a strong protest over the loss of lives of Indian soldiers during the cross-border penetration offered by Pakistani terrorists in the Sunderbani segment on October 21, the statement said.

"It was informed that two Pakistani armed intruders have been killed by the Indian security powers amid the following firefight and the government of Pakistan should take custody of the dead bodies of its nationals," the MEA said.

Two heavily-armed Pakistani interlopers and three Indian soldiers were killed in a gunfight Sunday after the Army foiled the infiltration bid along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Sunderbani area.

The Army had also warned Pakistan Monday to restrain the terrorists operating from its soil.

India also passed on to the Pakistani side Tuesday its grave worry over the proceeding with episodes of unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Pakistani powers along the LoC and the International Border (IB).

"Despite repeated calls for restraint and adherence to the ceasefire understanding of 2003 for keeping up peace and quietness, Pakistan powers have completed 1,591 incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations along the LoC and IB in 2018 up until now," the MEA said.

Pakistan was also asked to abide by its bilateral commitment not to allow any territory under its control to be used for supporting terrorism against India in any way, it included.