India protests mutilation of soldier’s body

Indian Deputy High Commissioner JP Singh, who was called in by Director General (South Asia and SAARC) Mohammad Faisal, also conveyed that Pakistani troops were deliberately targeting civilian areas, resulting in heavy casualties. Singh lodged a strong protest over the killing of Indian soldiers with the body of one of them being mutilated in the second such incident in less than a month. Three soldiers were killed in an ambush on Army patrol which took place in Machhil sector of Kashmir following which the Indian Army vowed heavy ‘retribution’. 

Singh also protested Monday’s killing of two Indian soldiers. Sources said he also took up the issue of repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistani forces as well as their usage of artillery and 120 mm heavy mortars. Pakistani forces were giving cover fire to infiltrators and there was increased activity of terrorists near the Pakistani posts, Singh told the Pakistani side. Faisal, on his part, strongly condemned the ‘unprovoked ceasefire violations on November 21, 2016’, by the Indian forces on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jandrot, Nikial, Karela and Baroh sectors, resulting in the death of four civilians and injuries to 10 others. 

The Director General also condemned the alleged violation of Pakistan’s Maritime Exclusive Economic Zone by the Indian Naval Submarine on November 14, 2016, in violation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a Pakistan Foreign Office statement said. Faisal urged the Indian side to respect the 2003 ceasefire understanding and UNCLOS. “Investigate the continued incidents of violations and instruct the Indian forces/authorities to respect the ceasefire and international borders, in letter and spirit,” he added.

New notes of Rs 2,000 were found on two terrorists who were killed in an encounter in Bandipora in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The police say the terrorists had Rs 15,000 in cash, including two notes of the new Rs 2,000 and the rest in Rs 100 notes. The terrorists were killed in a gunfight with security forces at a village. Both were from the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the police say.