Blood trail leads to Pak, India tells envoy Basit

Govt hauls up Pak high commissioner, latter denies charge

› India has sufficient evidence that this act was committed by personnel of the Pakistan Army who crossed the LoC in Krishna Ghati sector GOPAL BAGLAY, foreign ministry spokesperson

NEW DELHI: India told Pakistan’s envoy on Wednesday there is “sufficient evidence”, including a blood trail leading across the Line of Control, to prove Pakistani troops entered the Indian side, decapitated two soldiers and carried their heads back.

Foreign secretary S Jaishankar summoned Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit at noon and informed him during a brief meeting of India’s “outrage at the killing and barbaric act of mutilation of the bodies of the two soldiers… by Pakistan Army personnel”, external affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.

The killing and mutilation of the two soldiers on Monday sparked widespread anger, with their families and many political leaders demanding similar action against Pakistan.

The message from Jaishankar to the Pakistani envoy was blunt — the Indian government considers the mutilation “a strong act of provocation and in contravention to all norms of civilised conduct”, and wants “immediate action” against the Pakistani soldiers and commanders responsible for the act.

Basit denied the Pakistan Army “was involved in any way” but said he would convey the contents of India’s demarche to his government, Baglay told a news briefing.

Baglay said Monday’s attack was preceded by covering fire from Pakistani posts in Battal sector. “Blood samples of the Indian soldiers that have been collected and the trail of blood on the Roza Nala line clearly show that the killers returned across the Line of Control,” he said.

India has “sufficient evidence that this act was committed by personnel of the Pakistan Army who crossed the Line of Control in Krishna Ghati sector,” he added.