ISLAMABAD — On Saturday, Pakistan and India lodged reciprocal diplomatic protests after two Pakistani civilians were killed in cross‑border firing the previous day. Islamabad accused Indian forces of employing unprovoked lethal force, while New Delhi asserted that the victims had entered Indian territory illegally.
The fatalities occurred on Friday when India’s Border Security Force opened fire near the international frontier that separates the two nations. Each side offered differing narratives about what transpired.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry summoned India’s chargé d’affaires to register a formal protest, condemning the use of force as wholly unjustified and grossly disproportionate.
The ministry emphasized that the incident represented a grave breach of fundamental human rights, notably the right to life, and heightened concerns about civilian protection under international law.
It urged India to launch an immediate, transparent, and credible investigation, impose suitable disciplinary and legal measures on those responsible, and relay the outcomes to the Pakistani government.
Pakistan also dismissed allegations that the victims were attempting to infiltrate Indian territory.
“Pakistan categorically rejects any effort to label the deceased as ‘infiltrators,’” the foreign ministry stated.
India then summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in New Delhi, lodging a counter‑protest and accusing Islamabad of continually facilitating illegal cross‑border infiltration from Pakistan.
According to India’s Foreign Ministry, three individuals crossed into Indian territory in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab and persisted toward the border fence despite repeated BSF warnings to return to Pakistan.
“The BSF felt compelled to engage them because they posed an imminent security threat,” the ministry said.
New Delhi characterized the incident as part of a clear pattern of repeated cross‑border movements by armed narcotics syndicates operating from Pakistan, urging Islamabad to investigate suspected infiltration and drug‑smuggling operations.
India also pressed Pakistan to honor the international border, adhere to bilateral agreements, and ensure its forces prevent any unauthorized movement from its side.
Pakistan, meanwhile, urged India to uphold fundamental human rights and international law, strictly observe relevant bilateral agreements and established border procedures, exercise maximum restraint in such situations, and implement effective measures to prevent a recurrence.
The diplomatic exchange unfolds against a backdrop of renewed tensions between the nuclear‑armed neighbors, whose relations plunged after an April 2025 attack in Pahalgam, Indian‑administered Kashmir, that claimed 26 lives.
India accused Pakistan of backing the attackers and launched strikes inside Pakistan the subsequent month; Islamabad denied any involvement and responded militarily before a ceasefire halted four days of fighting.
The latest dispute also follows Indian media reports, just days earlier, that security forces killed a former Pakistani soldier during a Kashmir operation, alleging he served as a senior Lashkar‑e‑Taiba commander linked to several high‑profile militant attacks.
Indian media outlets additionally published and aired images of a Pakistani national identity card bearing the name Muhammad Asif, claiming it belonged to the individual killed in the operation.
Pakistan’s military countered the claim by presenting Asif alive at a news conference, labeling the Indian allegations a false‑flag operation intended to implicate Pakistan in cross‑border militancy.
With input from Reuters
