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India summons Pak HC, issues demarche over cross border terror

Earlier, India summoned Pakistani High Commissioner to New Delhi Abdul Basit to lodge a protest against “continuing cross-border terrorism from Pakistan”.

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According to a press release issued later by the MEA, Jaishankar raised the issue of a Pakistani national Bahadur Ali, who is also militant with Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT).

Ali had remained in touch with LeT’s “operations room” before his arrest in July and received instructions to carry out an attack in India, the government said, adding it was prepared to grant the Pakistan High Commission consular access to Ali.

He was arrested by Indian security personnel in Kashmir on 25 July with weapons that included a Kalashnikov rifle, live rounds, grenades and a grenade launcher besides sophisticated communication equipment.

It also said that Bahadur Ali wrote to the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi seeking legal aid and assistance to meet his family.

Relations between Pakistan and India have been strained further in recent weeks by a flare-up in protests against Indian rule in its part of the disputed border region of Kashmir, in which dozens have been killed by security forces.

Ali, born in the Zia Bagga village of Lahore, was arrested by Indian authorities in Jammu and Kashmir on July 25 with weapons (AK 47 rifle, live rounds, grenades, grenade launcher etc) as also sophisticated communication equipment and other material of Pakistani/ worldwide origin, according to the demarche issued to Mr. Basit. This, Jaishankar said, is contrary to the assurances given by Pakistani leaders at the highest level.

India accuses Pakistan of fomenting an Islamist insurgency in Indian-administered Kashmir, a charge Pakistan denies. Still, Pakistan said it would gather details to establish the veracity of India’s claim. As many as 55 people have lost their lives in incidents of violence since then.

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Pakistan’s prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistani foreign office had condemned Wani’s killing.

India's Foreign Secretary Subrahmanyam Jaishankar