India and Pakistan have summoned each other’s diplomats following a border shooting that killed two Pakistani civilians and left another person injured, further straining relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

Pakistan said the two civilians were killed by personnel of India’s Border Security Force (BSF) in the Bedian sector along the international border on Friday. Islamabad described the incident as an unjustified use of lethal force against unarmed people.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned India’s charge d’affaires and lodged a strong protest over the killings. It called for an immediate, transparent and credible investigation and urged India to take legal and disciplinary action against those responsible.

India rejected Pakistan’s allegations, calling them “baseless and motivated." New Delhi said it had instead summoned Pakistan’s charge d’affaires to protest what it described as continued cross-border infiltration.

According to Al Jazeera, India said three people had crossed into Indian territory in Punjab’s Ferozepur sector and continued towards the border fence despite repeated warnings from BSF personnel to turn back.

The Indian Foreign Ministry said the BSF opened fire after the three men posed an “imminent security threat”. It also alleged that the incident was linked to repeated cross-border movement by armed narcotics-smuggling networks operating from Pakistan.

Pakistan, however, rejected India’s description of the victims as “infiltrators” and maintained that they were unarmed civilians. Islamabad demanded that India establish the facts through an independent investigation and formally share its findings.

The latest dispute comes as relations between India and Pakistan remain deeply strained following the April 2025 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people. India accused Pakistan of supporting the attackers, a charge Islamabad has repeatedly denied.

The two countries subsequently fought a brief four-day conflict, adding another layer of tension to an already fragile relationship.

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