India on Saturday summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission and lodged a strong protest over what it described as the continued facilitation of illegal cross-border infiltration from Pakistan, while rejecting Islamabad’s allegations over the October 2 incident in Punjab’s Ferozepur sector.The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said three individuals had crossed into Indian territory and continued advancing towards the border fence despite repeated warnings by the Border Security Force (BSF) to return. The BSF was “compelled to engage” them after they posed an imminent security threat, it said.The MEA said the incident pointed to a recurring pattern of cross-border movement by what it described as armed narcotics syndicates operating from Pakistan.India urged Pakistan to investigate the infiltration and drug-smuggling activities and examine the alleged involvement of its border guarding forces in facilitating such movements.The diplomatic protest came after Pakistan summoned India’s Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad over the killing of two Pakistanis nationals in the Ferozepur sector. Islamabad had disputed India’s account and described the two as civilians who had inadvertently crossed the International Border.Rejecting the Pakistani allegations as “baseless and motivated”, the MEA reiterated that the three men had entered Indian territory and ignored warnings to turn back. India also called on Pakistan to respect the sanctity of the border and strictly adhere to existing bilateral arrangements governing the frontier.