ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India traded diplomatic protests on Saturday over the killing of two Pakistani civilians in firing near the border a day earlier, with Islamabad accusing Indian forces of using “unprovoked lethal force” and New Delhi saying the men had crossed illegally into its territory.

The two Pakistani men were killed on Friday in firing by India’s Border Security Force (BSF) near the international frontier dividing the two countries, with both sides giving conflicting accounts of the circumstances surrounding the incident.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Saturday it had summoned the Indian chargé d’affaires to lodge a protest over the killings, saying the use of force against the men was “wholly unjustified and grossly disproportionate.”

“It was underscored that the incident constituted a serious violation of fundamental human rights, including the right to life, and raised serious concerns regarding the protection of civilian life under international law,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.

“The Indian side was called upon to conduct an immediate, transparent and credible investigation into the incident, take appropriate disciplinary and legal action against those found responsible, and formally communicate the findings and action taken to the Government of Pakistan.”

Pakistan also rejected claims that the two men were attempting to enter India illegally.

“Pakistan categorically rejects any attempt to mischaracterize the deceased as ‘infiltrators,’” the foreign ministry said.

India subsequently summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in New Delhi and lodged its own protest, accusing Islamabad of the “continued facilitation of illegal cross-border infiltration from Pakistan.”

The Indian foreign ministry said three people had crossed into Indian territory in the Ferozepur sector of Punjab and continued moving toward the border fence despite multiple warnings from the BSF to return to Pakistan.

“The BSF was compelled to engage them for posing an imminent security threat,” the ministry said.

New Delhi said the incident was part of what it described as “a clear pattern of repeated cross-border movement by armed narcotics syndicates operating from Pakistan” and called on Islamabad to investigate alleged infiltration and drug-smuggling activities.

India also urged Pakistan to respect the international border, observe bilateral arrangements and ensure its forces prevented unauthorized movement from its side.

Pakistan, for its part, called on India to “ensure respect for fundamental human rights and international law, strictly observe relevant bilateral arrangements and established border procedures, exercise maximum restraint in dealing with such situations, and take effective measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.”

The diplomatic spat comes amid renewed tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors, whose relations deteriorated sharply after an April 2025 attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 people.

India blamed Pakistan for supporting the attackers and launched strikes inside Pakistan the following month. Islamabad denied involvement and responded militarily before a ceasefire ended four days of fighting.

The latest dispute also comes days after Indian media reported that security forces had killed a former Pakistani soldier in an operation in Kashmir, alleging he was serving as a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba commander involved in a string of high-profile militant attacks.

Indian media outlets also published and aired images of a Pakistani national identity card bearing the name Muhammad Asif, which they said belonged to the man killed in the operation.

Pakistan’s military challenged that account by producing Asif alive at a news conference, describing the Indian allegations as a “false flag operation” aimed at implicating Pakistan in cross-border militancy.

With input from Reuters