Pakistan summons India's envoy in bid to frame Army as UNMO vehicle targeted along LoC

Even after military sources in New Delhi have rejected the allegations, Pakistan on Saturday summoned India's Charg d'Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia to register a protest after a United Nations Military Observers (UNMO) vehicle was targeted in the country's Chirikot sector along the Line of Control (LoC).

The Indian diplomat was summoned to the Foreign Office (FO) in Islamabad a day after the Pakistan Army accused the Indian Army of "deliberately" targeting the UNMO, an allegation dismissed by India as completely false, baseless and factually incorrect. The FO said that the UN Observers were on their way to Polas village to meet with the victims of ceasefire violations when their vehicle was targeted. "While the vehicle was damaged, the two UNMOs remained unharmed," it said.

According to news agency PTI, military sources in New Delhi have rejected the allegation, saying reports of targeting the UN vehicle are not true.

The allegations came after Pakistan claimed that India was planning a surgical strike against the country. In a statement at a press conference in Dubai, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday said that he had credible information that India was planning a surgical strike against Pakistan. According to Dawn, Pakistan Army had been put on high alert amidst a possible threat of another attempt by India to conduct a surgical strike inside Pakistani territory.

UN investigating incident

Meanwhile, in New York, United Nations Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq, commenting on the incident on Friday, said, "I believe that the details we have are in fact that there was no one hurt but there has been a vehicle damaged in an incident and the mission is currently investigating the incident."

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Official sources in New Delhi have said the reports emerging from the Pakistani side regarding attacks on the UN vehicle by Indian troops along the LoC are completely false, baseless and factually incorrect. The sources said there was no firing from the Indian side in that sector on Friday. "Since movements of UN vehicles are known in advance, the question does not arise of any such firing," the sources said, adding the allegations are baseless.

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India maintains that the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP), established in January 1949, has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the Line of Control. 

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(With inputs from agencies)