Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




THE STANS
Pakistan protests 'repeated, unacceptable' India violations
by Staff Writers
Islamabad (AFP) Jan 11, 2013


Pakistan summoned the Indian ambassador on Friday to protest against "unacceptable and unprovoked" attacks by the Indian army that killed two Pakistani soldiers in five days in Kashmir.

Pakistan said its soldiers were killed on Sunday and Thursday.

On Tuesday, India said two of its soldiers were killed by Pakistani troops and that one of them was beheaded in the disputed Himalayan region, which is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan but ruled in part by each.

Pakistan's foreign ministry said it had summoned India's high commissioner to Islamabad to lodge a "strong protest on the repeated, unacceptable and unprovoked attacks on Pakistani soldiers by the Indian army".

India said its troops opened fire in response to Pakistani fire on both occasions. Pakistan has denied any responsibility for the Indian soldiers' deaths.

On Friday, Pakistan called on the Indian government to investigate the "repeated" violations of the ceasefire, which has held along the Line of Control (LoC) -- the de facto border in divided Kashmir -- since 2003 and to take steps to prevent them from happening again.

Both countries have appeared determined to prevent the recent killings from wrecking a fragile peace process, which resumed in 2011.

Islamabad repeated an offer to hold an independent inquiry through the United Nations and reiterated its commitment to peace talks with India, saying the attacks "create unnecessary and avoidable distractions" to peace efforts.

On the ground, more than 300 people demonstrated in Pakistani-administered Kashmir on Friday, condemning Indian aggression and accusing Indian troops of ceasefire violations, police said.

The crowd condemned the killings of Pakistan soldiers in the state capital Muzaffarabad and dispersed peacefully, local police chief Raja Shafqat told AFP.

The rally was also attended by state premier Chaudhry Abdul Majeed, who accused New Delhi of deliberately disturbing peace in the region and said further protests would be held on Monday.

Meanwhile, local authorities in Muzaffarabad on Friday suspended trade with India from the Titrinot route in Kashmir, officials said.

"The local government suspended trade with India for an indefinite period from Titrinot area because of firing from across the LoC," chief of the local trade and travel authority Muhammad Ismail told AFP.

He said: "We cannot continue the trade under the shadow of guns."

A road between Titrinot and Hajira, which is the main route for trucks carrying supplies to and from India and Pakistan, had been closed due to the firing. It reopened on Thursday but people are using it at their own risk said local administration official Sardar Mushtaq.

President of the Titrinot Trade Action Committee Syeed Akhtar Shah also confirmed the trade suspension and said "truckers are not willing to travel by this route because of the firing, which has caused huge financial losses to us".

The United States has urged the nuclear-armed rivals to cool tensions along the heavily militarised LoC.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority territory, has been the cause of two of three wars between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947.

.


Related Links
News From Across The Stans






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








THE STANS
Obama: US to speed up Afghan troop transition
Washington (AFP) Jan 11, 2013
President Barack Obama Friday said NATO troops would speed up a transfer of lead security responsibility to Afghan forces this spring, in a sign the pace of US troop withdrawals could quicken. After meeting President Hamid Karzai to chart Afghanistan's future, Obama insisted the United States had achieved its target there of "decapitating" Al-Qaeda, despite falling short of heady early goals ... read more


THE STANS
Arianespace's industry leadership will continue with 12 launcher family missions planned in 2013

Arianespace addresses The Insurance Institute of London

Cargo loading underway with the next ATV resupply spacecraft to be launched by Ariane 5

SpaceX sets March 1 for launch to ISS

THE STANS
Mars500 project - salt balance of the Mars 'astronauts'

Simulated mission to Mars reveals critical data about sleep needs for astronauts

NASA's Big Mars Rover Makes First Use Of Its Brush

Lockheed Martin Delivered Core Structure For First GOES-R Satellite

THE STANS
Mission would drag asteroid to the moon

Russia designs manned lunar spacecraft

GRAIL Lunar Impact Site Named for Astronaut Sally Ride

NASA probes crash into the moon

THE STANS
Halfway Between Uranus and Neptune, New Horizons Cruises On

Dwarf planet Makemake lacks atmosphere

Keck Observations Bring Weather Of Uranus Into Sharp Focus

At Pluto, Moons and Debris May Be Hazardous to New Horizons Spacecraft During Flyby

THE STANS
Earth-size planets common in galaxy

NASA's Hubble Reveals Rogue Planetary Orbit For Fomalhaut B

NASA, ESA Telescopes Find Evidence for Asteroid Belt Around Vega

Kepler Gets a Little Help From Its Friends

THE STANS
NASA Researchers Studying Advanced Nuclear Rocket Technologies

Russia develops new rocket fuel

Three key ISRO centres get new chiefs

Russia to Launch New Light Class Carrier Rocket in 2013

THE STANS
Mr Xi in Space

China plans manned space launch in 2013: state media

China to launch manned spacecraft

Tiangong 1 Parked And Waiting As Shenzhou 10 Mission Prep Continues

THE STANS
Rogue asteroid a fifth bigger than thought: space agency

Herschel intercepts asteroid Apophis

Asteroid Impact Delivered Carbon To Giant Asteroid Vesta

Asteroid Impact Delivered Carbon To Giant Asteroid Vesta




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement