India issues demarche to Pakistan over ceasefire violation, death of soldier

India on Wednesday issued a demarche to Pakistan protesting against death of a soldier of Indian Army due to ceasefire violation by the personnel of neighbouring country's forces along the Line of Control.

A diplomat of Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs where senior officials conveyed to him India's concern over unprovoked ceasefire violation by the soldiers of the neighbouring country along the LoC.

Tariq Karim, a counsellor at the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi, was summoned to the MEA headquarters in New Delhi.  Senior officials at the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division of the MEA  handed over to him a demarche, lodging strong protest at the fatal casualty of an Indian Army soldier in unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan’s forces in the Krishna Ghati Sector on Tuesday.  "The incident was condemned in strongest term and it was  conveyed that such loss of life was highly deplorable," Raveesh Kumar, spokesperson of the MEA, said.

Kumar said that New Delhi's grave concern at the continuing incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Pakistan forces along the LoC and the International Border had also been shared with the diplomat of the neighbouring country.

"Despite repeated calls for restraint  and call to adhere to the ceasefire understanding of 2003 for maintaining peace and tranquillity, Pakistan forces have carried out 301 incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations along the LoC this year so far," Kumar said in a press release issued on Wednesday.