Pak refuses to accept body of intruder killed in Pathankot
PATHANKOT/JAMMU: Pakistani authorities refused on Saturday to accept the body of a suspected intruder who was shot dead by India’s border guards in Punjab’s Pathankot district, officials said.
The rebuff by Pakistan Rangers, whichguardsthecountry’sborders, is seen as its refusal to acknowledge the suspected intruder’s Pakistani citizenship, officials said.
Border Security Force (BSF) had called a “flag meeting” with Pakistan Rangers on Saturday to hand over the body.
Pakistani currency, a cigarette packet, a matchbox and a soft drink pouch were found on the slain intruder, said Pathankot senior superintendent of police Rakesh Kaushal.
“We have sent the body for post-mortem as the other side has refused to take it,” he added.
Officials said two more infiltrators may have gone back after coming under heavy fire.
The intruder was shot dead near the Tinda border outpost in the Bamyal sector, the same area through which Pakistan-based militants had crossed over to attack the air force base in Pathankot and later a police station in Dinanagar, according to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Security forces launched a search operation on Friday after a speech impaired man claimed to have seen suspected militants on the Punjab-Himachal border.
In an unrelated incident, a government employee was allegedly killed in crossfire during an encounter between security forces andmilitantsinKashmir’sKulgam, triggering protests by locals.
The militants, whose number was not known, managed to escape under the cover of darkness on late on Friday, a police official said.
Officials said the state government employee, Assadullah Kumar, was killed in firing minutes after the security forces had cordoned off the area. It was not clear how Kumar was hit.
Officials were also tightlipped about the civilian death.
Police also recovered five Indian army uniforms and related military paraphernalia on the Samba-Kathua highway, raising fears of militant movement in the area which saw a brazen attack on an army camp earlier this week that left seven Indian soldiers dead.