India on Tuesday summoned Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner Mansoor Ahmed Khan and lodged a strong protest over killing of five Indian soldiers along the Line of Control in the Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Deputy High Commissioner was summoned by Joint Secretary in Ministry of External Affairs Rudrendra Tandon in South Block and delivered a strong diplomatic message, sources said.
In an audacious and provocative attack, Pakistani troops entered Indian territory along the Line of Control in the Poonch sector in Jammu and Kashmir late last night and ambushed a patrol killing five Indian soldiers.
The attack was carried out by 20 heavily-armed terrorists along with persons in Pakistan army uniform, Defence Minister A K Antony told Lok Sabha.
A Subedar and four jawans of the 21 Bihar Unit were killed in the attack which took place at around 2 am, the defence ministry sources said, adding the attack took place 450 metres from the LoC on the Indian side.
The killing came just as India and Pakistan were preparing to resume peace talks stalled since January when tensions rose following the beheading of two Indian soldiers along the LoC.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif are slated to meet in New York next month on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
