New Delhi:
India today summoned the Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan, Syed Haider Shah, to register protest over the recent escalation in ceasefire violations by Pakistan at the Line of Control and the International Border in Jammu and Kashmir, which have resulted in more than 10 deaths.
The government said it has also registered "strong protest" regarding the mutilation of the body of a soldier by terrorists near the Line of Control.
Pakistan has violated ceasefire nearly 60 times since India's surgical strikes in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on September 29. In the repeated shellings - which sometimes took place even thrice a day -- 22 civilians have been injured. The villages in the targeted areas have been evacuated.
The summons to Mr Shah came hours after Pakistan pulled out four officials posted at the High Commission in New Delhi. Last week, India expelled a Pakistani official for espionage activities, following which Pakistan expelled an Indian official.
The four had reportedly been named by expelled Pakistani high commission staffer Mehmood Akhtar during his interrogation.
Mahmood Akhtar, 35, was caught by the police at the Delhi zoo while receiving sensitive intel and documents from two men from Rajasthan.
Akhtar was recruited by Pakistani Inter-Services intelligence or ISI three years ago and later posted in the High Commission in Delhi, the police have said. He worked in the Visa section, allegedly so he could recruit potential spies.
During his interrogation by Delhi Police and intelligence agencies, Akhtar had claimed 16 other employees of the diplomatic mission were in touch with spies for extracting sensitive information and documents pertaining to army and Border Security Force or BSF deployment, said a senior police officer privy to the probe.
His claims are still being verified and, if found to be true, the police might write to the Ministry of External Affairs to take the matter forward, the officer said.