Pakistan on Wednesday lodged a "strong" protest to India over reported killing of a Pakistani civilian prisoner in Indian-administered Kashmir.
According to a statement by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, Indian charge d’affaires in Islamabad was summoned to the ministry and told that the reported killing of Pakistani prisoner Zia Mustafa, who had been in Indian custody since 2003, under "mysterious circumstances" was not only “intriguing” but also raised serious questions about the well-being, safety and security of Pakistani prisoners in India.
"Regrettably, this is not the first such incident. In the past as well, Pakistani civilian prisoners in India have been found dead under inexplicable circumstances. Pakistan reiterates its condemnation of the dastardly Indian practice of extra-judicial killing of Pakistani and Kashmiri prisoners in fake encounters," the statement added.
Islamabad urged New Delhi to "urgently authenticate this particular incident, undertake a credible and transparent investigation into it, ensure justice, and hold the perpetrators to account."
"The Indian government was further reminded to fulfill its obligations to ensure safety, security and humane treatment of all Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails/detention centres pending their release or repatriation," the statement concluded.
