ALI HUSSAIN

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday dismissed the “false claims” made by India of “cross-border raid” by its troops, saying “the alleged cross LoC adventures are a figment of their imagination and counterproductive for peace.”

“The false claims by India about the alleged cross LoC adventures are a figment of their imagination and counterproductive for peace and tranquility on the LoC,” said Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal.

Dr Faisal also summoned India’s Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh as Director General South Asia & SAARC, and “condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations by Indian occupation forces in the Rakh Chikri sector on the LoC, that provided a cover for the planting of IEDs by non-state actors, resulting in the martyrdom of three soldiers and injuring another.”

He categorically rejected the Indian claims that there was any crossing of the LoC by the Indian forces. “The Indian actions got a befitting response from the Pakistani side and their guns were silenced,” he added.

The Director General urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 Ceasefire arrangement; investigate this and other incidents of ceasefire violations; instruct the Indian forces to respect the ceasefire in letter and spirit; and maintain peace on the LoC.

He urged that the Indian side should permit UNMOGIP to play its mandated role as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

Earlier, the Indian media quoting a “senior officer” claimed that “to avenge the killing of four soldiers in a ceasefire violation (CFV) by Pakistan, the Indian Army carried out a local cross-border raid on a temporary post across LoC on Monday night and killed three Pakistan soldiers.”

“It was a local tactical level action taken by the local commanders. It was a short distance raid about 200-300 metres inside the LoC,” the Indian media further quoted an unnamed “senior officer”.

The Indian media also released names of an officer and three soldiers – Major Moharkar Prafulla Ambadas, Lance Naik Gurmail Singh, Sepoy Gurmeet Singh and Sepoy Pargat Singh – along with their pictures who were killed allegedly in “ceasefire violations” by the Pakistan Army along the LoC at Rajouri in Pir Panjal Valley on Saturday last.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Army on Tuesday categorically denied that Indian soldiers had crossed the Line of Control (LOC) earlier on Monday and raided its outpost.

A statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) referring to the Indian media reports stated it as a “continuation of the self-defeating projections to satisfy domestic audience.”