New Delhi: With Indo-Pak ties continuing to slide sharply downhill, India has summoned Pakistani envoy Abdul Basit and issued a strong demarche to protest against Pakistan’s continued support to cross-border terrorism in Kashmir, pointing specifically to Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorist and Pakistani national Bahadur Ali, who was captured recently in Kashmir during an encounter.
New Delhi said Islamabad's continued support to terrorism was “contrary to assurances given by the Pakistani leaders at the highest level” and said India was prepared to grant the Pakistan High Commission consular access to the captured terrorist who has requested legal aid and assistance to meet his family.
Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar called Mr. Basit to his South Block office and lodged a strong protest over the issue. Pakistan had last month summoned the Indian High Commi-ssioner to protest against the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani whom Islamabad termed a “Kashmiri leader”. Basit’s summoning comes on a day when Modi reached out to the people in the Kashmir.
