Pak calls for 'transparent' probe by India into boat incident

Islamabad, Jan 8: Pakistan today said it expects India to conduct a "transparent" probe to ascertain the facts of the boat incident while highlighting that its own investigation has shown that there was "no sound evidence" to substantiate India's assertions.

"On the so called terror boat incident, India has not approached Pakistan through diplomatic channels," Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam told reporters at her weekly media briefing. Aslam said Pakistan had launched a probe into the matter to primarily ascertain if any Pakistani fishing boat is missing at sea but "there appears to be no sound evidence to substantiate the Indian allegations."

"There is a debate in India and questions are being raised about the claims and circumstance under which the people in the boat were targeted and boat was set on fire," Aslam said.

"We expect that there would be a transparent investigation by the Indian government to ascertain the facts of the incident and the circumstance in which the boat caught fire and some people got killed," she said. Aslam also condemned alleged cross border firing by India and said "many precious lives have been lost" due to "Indian firing on the Line of Control and working boundary."

"Thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes and flee to safety. Civilian population of Pakistan is more vulnerable because many villages are located in close proximity to the working boundary," she said.

PTI