Pakistan summons Indian diplomat, alleges rights violation over BSF firing that killed two
Representational Image. (Image courtesy: Wikimedia)
New Delhi: Pakistan on Saturday summoned India’s chargé d’affaires over the October 2 border firing in Punjab, which killed two Pakistani nationals, and formally registered its objections. The incident was initially reported from the Indian side as the killing of two suspected Pakistani intruders by the Border Security Force (BSF) near the Punjab border.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on X that the Indian diplomat was told the use of lethal force against what Islamabad described as unarmed civilians was “wholly unjustified and grossly disproportionate”. The ministry also rejected any attempt to describe the two dead men as “infiltrators”.
Islamabad said the incident raised concerns over the protection of civilian life and called on India to carry out an immediate, transparent and credible investigation. It also sought appropriate disciplinary and legal action against those found responsible and asked that the findings be formally communicated to the Pakistani government.
The ministry also urged India to follow border procedures and bilateral agreements, exercise restraint in such incidents and take steps to prevent similar ones in future.
Pakistan described the two men as civilians and said the incident was a serious violation of fundamental human rights, including the right to life, and raised concerns over the protection of civilian life under international law. These are Islamabad’s claims, and India has not responded to them in the material available.
What the earlier report said
RNA Media earlier reported that two suspected Pakistani intruders were killed after BSF personnel opened fire near the international border, close to the Rajoke border outpost under the Khalra police station area in Punjab’s Tarn Taran district.
BSF troops deployed along the border noticed two men moving towards the Indian side at about 12.30am on Thursday, the earlier report said. The troops reportedly challenged the men and asked them to stop, but they allegedly continued moving forward, after which the BSF opened fire.
Both men were killed, and their identities had not been officially confirmed at the time. Their bodies were handed over to the police for postmortem as authorities worked to establish their identities and reconstruct the sequence of events.
The incident was being examined in coordination with the Punjab Police, which was looking into how the two men reached the border area and whether they had crossed into Indian territory before the firing.
