Breaking News: Pakistan Blames India for Seven Soldier Deaths at Line of Control
In a significant escalation at the Line of Control (LoC), Pakistan has blamed India for the death of seven Pakistani soldiers overnight on Sunday. This is the first time in recent weeks that Pakistan has acknowledged such large-scale military casualties.
The Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reported that 26 civilians had been killed and 107 injured on the Pakistani side of the LoC in previous days. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhury summoned Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale to condemn what Pakistan called an "unprovoked ceasefire violation."
Indian Army sources said the ceasefire violation was started by Pakistan in the Naushera sector on Sunday night and that they had "responded appropriately."
"We cannot comment on Pakistani claims on casualties on their side. They could be lower or even higher," an officer said. The officer denied any loss on the Indian side as claimed by the Pakistani media, adding, "We don’t hide our casualties. If there is something it will come out."
Later in the day, Pakistan’s military spokesperson released photos of each of the soldiers killed, even as the Army Chief General Raheel Sharif was shown attending funeral prayers for them. Close watchers of the military said this indicated that the Army would be under pressure to launch possible reprisal attacks on the Indian side.
In Islamabad, Premier Nawaz Sharif’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz said the "Indian actions" may lead to a "strategic miscalculation." The Pakistani Foreign Secretary repeated this message when he summoned Mr. Bambawale to the Foreign Office. Pakistan also asked the U.N. monitoring group UNMOGIP to send an "urgent report" on the escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan to the Security Council.
The MEA did not respond to Pakistan’s claims or to the strong statements.
Reference : https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/Our-soldiers-killed-in-Indian-firing-claims-Pakistan/article60613394.ece
