Envoy summoned over ‘hoax call’ from India

Islamabad: Pakistan summoned the Indian envoy here to protest over a hoax phone call received from India at the Sindh provincial governor’s official residence, authorities said on Monday.

Foreign office spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said Indian Deputy High Commissioner J.P. Singh was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday by Director General (South Asia & SAARC) Muhammad Faisal, who informed the envoy about the threatening phone call received at the official residence of Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad Khan.

The call, received on October 23, threatened that the Governor House, located in Karachi, would be blown up with explosives.

Intelligence and law enforcement agencies were informed about the threat and they sprang into action tightening the security around the building.

“Details of the call were also shared with him (Singh) and it was requested that the Indian government may have the matter investigated and share results with Pakistan at the earliest,” said Khalilullah.

The foreign office also lodged a protest with India over the latest “unprovoked ceasefire violations” that killed at least three people and injured several others at the Working Boundary (Line of Control) in Kashmir.

Security officials earlier said that the Indian border forces shelled Pakistani border areas in Shakargarh sector in Punjab province over the past few days.

“The Indian Deputy High Commissioner, J.P. Singh, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to protest over the unprovoked ceasefire violations by India during the nights of October 23-25 at Shakargarh and Zafarwal Sectors of the Working Boundary,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.