India summons Pak envoy to hand down demarche over continued infiltration

09 August, New Delhi

Taking strong exception to continued push from Pakistan to trained terrorists into Jammu and Kashmir, India today summoned Pakistan High Commissioner Abdul Basit and handed him over a demarche to ask Islamabad to stop infiltration in the Indian territory.

The fresh demarche was issued days after the nabbing of a Lashkar-e-Toiba trained militant by the security forces on July 25. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned the Pakistan envoy to lodge strong protest over continued infiltration, which New Delhi said, was contrary to assurances given by the Pakistani leaders at the highest level.

Pakistani national Bahadur Ali alias Abu Saifullah, 21, hailing from Jia Bagga village of District Lahore in the Pakistani state of Punjab was arrested with large quantity of weapons including AK-47 rifle, live rounds, grenades and grenade launcher.

“Bahadur Ali has confessed to our authorities that after training in Lashkar-e-Toiba camps, he was infiltrated into India. He was thereafter in touch with an ‘operations room’ of LeT, receiving instructions to attack Indian security personnel and carry out other terrorist attacks in India,” the MEA said in a statement.

Sophisticated communication equipment and other material of Pakistani/international origin, were also recovered from the militant. India offered to grant the Pakistan High Commission consular access to Bahadur Ali, as requested by the militant, in a letter addressed to the High Commissioner in New Delhi. He has also requested legal aid and assistance to meet his family.