India lodges strong protest, asks Pak to investigate barbaric, inhuman mutilation of soldiers

Outraged by the brutal killing of two of its soldiers by intruding Pakistani troops, India on Wednesday strongly protested to Pakistan, warning that the "unacceptable" incident will have adverse impact on the ties.

As strong reactions by the government and political parties came, Pakistan High Commission Salman Bashir was summoned by Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, who conveyed India's "deepest concern and protest" over yesterday's attack in which two Indian soldiers were killed and their bodies subjected to "barbaric and inhuman mutilation".

Pakistan was also asked to immediately investigate these actions that are in contravention of all norms of international conduct and ensure that these do not recur.

External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said the Pakistan envoy was "spoken to in very strong terms" and the deepest concern and protest over the incident was conveyed. He called the incident "completely unacceptable".

India's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia spoke to his Pakistani counterpart Maj Gen Ashfaq Nadeem to complain about the attack. A Pakistani military official said in Islamabad that Gen Nadeem rejected Indian army's contention of cross-Line of Control(LoC) firing by Pakistani troops and killing of any Indian soldier.

Referring to last month's Indo-Pak discussions on conventional CBMs, wherein maintaining the sanctity of the LoC, one of the most important CBMs between the two countries, was emphasised, Khurshid said, "Therefore violation of (ceasefire) that itself is something which is a matter of great concern. And that would obviously, if not immediately, contained will have adverse impact on what we have been trying to do for such a long time."

Reacting sharply to the incident, Defence Minister A K Antony said, "Pakistan Army's action is highly provocative. The way they treated the dead bodies of Indian soldiers is inhuman....We are closely following the situation."

In a gruesome attack, Pakistan regular soldiers crossed into Indian territory in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir yesterday and ambushed an Indian patrol killing two soldiers, one of whom was decapitated.

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