India has lodged a protest with Pakistan over the killing of a BSF jawan along the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir, during the Directorate of Military Operations-level talks, Army sources said.
“In the functional-level talks held yesterday, India lodged a protest against a ceasefire violation along the International Border targeting the BSF personnel,” the sources said.
Pakistani troops slit the throat of a Border Security Force jawan, Narender Kumar, after fatally shooting him along the International Border near Jammu on Tuesday.
The brutal and “unprecedented” incident that took place in the Ramgarh sector has prompted the security forces to issue a “high alert” along the IB and the Line of Control (LoC) even as the BSF has lodged a strong complaint with its counterparts — the Pakistan Rangers.
Official sources said the body of Head Constable Kumar also bore three bullet wounds and it could only be retrieved from a spot ahead of the Indo-Pak fence after over six hours as the Pakistani side “did not respond” to the calls to maintain the sanctity of the frontier and ensure that the BSF search parties were not fired upon.
The incident comes at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is said to be looking for ways to bring about a thaw in the diplomatic relations of the two countries, and also just a few hours before India and Pakistan are set to play their first match at the Asia Cup cricket tournament being held in Dubai.
In May, the Director General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan had agreed to “fully implement” the ceasefire pact of 2003 in “letter and spirit” forthwith to stop cross-border firings in Jammu and Kashmir.
This was agreed during a hotline conversation between the two countries against the backdrop of increasing ceasefire violations along the LoC.
However, tensions along the IB and LoC still prevail.
(With PTI inputs)