India issues demarche to Pakistan over death of soldier

New Delhi: India on Wednesday summoned a senior official of the Pakistan High Commission and issued a demarche over the death of an Indian soldier in a ceasefire violation along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. "Counsellor Tariq Karim in the High Commission for Pakistan in New Delhi was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs today and a demarche was made lodging strong protest at the fatal casualty of an Indian soldier in unprovoked ceasefire violation by Pakistan's forces in the Krishna Ghati Sector on August 8," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement. "The incident was condemned in strongest term and it was conveyed that such loss of life was highly deplorable," it said. The Indian soldier, Sepoy Pawan Singh Sugra, died after sustaining injuries in the unprovoked firing by Pakistan forces on Tuesday. "Our grave concern at the continuing incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations by the Pakistan forces along the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB) was also shared," the statement said. "Despite repeated calls for restraint and call to adhere to the ceasefire understanding of 2003 for maintaining peace and tranquility, Pakistan forces have carried out 301 incidents of unprovoked ceasefire violations along the LoC this year so far," it added.