India on Saturday summoned the Charge d'Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission and lodged a strong protest over what New Delhi described as the continued facilitation of illegal cross-border infiltration from Pakistan.
According to an NDTV report, the diplomatic action came hours after Pakistan summoned India's Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad over the killing of two Pakistani intruders by the Border Security Force (BSF) near the International Border in Punjab.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said India also rejected what it called baseless and motivated allegations made by Pakistan regarding the incident in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab on October 2.
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According to the MEA, three individuals had entered Indian territory despite repeated warnings from the BSF to return to Pakistan. The ministry said the personnel were compelled to engage them after they continued moving towards the border fence, posing what it described as an imminent security threat.
The incident took place near Rajoke village in Punjab. The BSF, which guards India's borders, had spotted the individuals entering Indian territory and issued warnings, according to the Indian government's account.
The MEA said the incident was part of what it described as a clear pattern of repeated cross-border movement involving armed narcotics syndicates operating from Pakistan.
India urged the Pakistani government to investigate what it described as cross-border infiltration and drug-smuggling activities, including alleged involvement of Pakistan's border-guarding forces, and to take remedial measures.
New Delhi also asked the Pakistani diplomat to ensure that Pakistan respects the sanctity of the International Border and strictly adheres to relevant bilateral arrangements.
India further called on Pakistan to ensure that its forces exercise effective control to prevent unauthorised movement across the border and take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Pakistan, meanwhile, has disputed India's account of the incident.
NDTV reported that Islamabad's Foreign Office said it had summoned the Indian Charge d'Affaires to lodge a "strong protest" over the killings. It alleged that BSF personnel had used "unprovoked lethal force against unarmed civilians".
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"Such use of force was wholly unjustified and grossly disproportionate," Pakistan's Foreign Office said, adding that the incident had resulted in the deaths of two people.
Pakistan has called for an "immediate, transparent and credible investigation" into the incident.
India and Pakistan share a 553-kilometre-long international border in Punjab. The latest diplomatic exchanges come amid competing accounts from the two countries over the circumstances surrounding the October 2 border incident.
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