ISLAMABAD, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan military on Monday lodged protest with Indian army over firing on an army vehicle, which resulted into the killing of four soldiers.
The army spokesman said that Director General Military Operations (DGMO) notified Pakistan's demarche to his Indian counterpart to protest "deliberate targeting" of Pakistan Army's vehicle resulting into the killing of four soldiers besides injuring one soldier and a civilian passerby.
The army said on Sunday that the Indian forces fired at the vehicle along Neelum River at Athmaqam area along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between the two countries in the disputed Kashmir region.
The Pakistani DGMO recorded protest with Indian counterpart during the weekly hotline contact that took place on Monday, the spokesman said in a statement.
"The DGMO Pakistan Army, Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza emphasized the importance of controlling tactical actions of under command troops, since these indiscretions can potentially spiral major standoffs," the statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations said.
"While we don't want to go down the path where we start choking each other's supply lines, however, any such recurrence will invoke more strong and effective measures from Pakistan's side," the DGMO Pakistan Army said.
He said such acts have the potential to escalate which then will be extremely detrimental to peace and stability.
Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire along the LoC in 2003. However, both sides routinely accuse each other of ceasefire violations.
The Pakistan military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said Sunday that Indian forces have committed 580 ceasefire violations so far this year, which he described as the "highest in any year."
