The Pakistan Army has  rejected claims that Indian commandos selectively targeted a post across the Line of Control (LoC) killing three Pakistani soldiers in a tit-for-tat action.

“India recently claimed that 10 of their soldiers came in Pakistan’s territory and killed Pakistani soldiers,” Army spokesman Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said, terming it as “false propaganda for their domestic audience to take the focus off Kashmir.”

Addressing the media in Rawalpindi, Maj Gen Ghafoor also termed last year’s “surgical strike” by India across LoC as “false propaganda”. “You cannot lure us into such unprofessional undertakings,” he said.

Sections of the Indian media quoting Army sources reported that a “small group” of ‘Ghatak’ commandos carried out a tactical level selective targeting of the Pakistani post around 200-300 metres across the LoC in which three Pakistani soldiers were killed and one was injured.

The media reports termed the operation as revenge for the killing of four Indian Army personnel by a Border Action Team of the Pakistan Army in Keri sector Rajouri district last week. The Indian Army has neither confirmed nor denied the media reports while Pakistan said the three soldiers were killed in “unprovoked firing” by Indian troops.

Maj Gen Ghafoor also rejected Indian concerns over treatment of Kulbushan Jadhav’s family and said the Foreign Office had already given a detailed response to it.

“India always looks to reduce the relevance of any gestures that Pakistan makes. However, every effort that anti-Pakistan elements make, we will counter,” he said.

“Even if we do something as a good gesture, the Indian media will colour it in a negative light. We allowed Jadhav to meet his family as a responsible state,” he added.

He also accused India of a record number of ceasefire violation in 2017, which he claimed was being done to divert attention of Pakistan from fighting terrorism on its western border.

The spokesman also reiterated Pakistan’s “moral, political, and diplomatic support” to Kashmiris.

He rejected the US demand to do more and Washington’s allegations about the presence of “safe havens” of terrorists.

Ghafoor said Pakistan had fought against militants without any discrimination and destroyed their infrastructure.

“No organised infrastructure of any banned organisation is present in Pakistan. There are no facilitators [of terrorist groups] in Pakistan and we have gone a long way towards supporting peace in the region,” he said.

The spokesman also rejected US Vice President Mike Pence’s remarks in Afghanistan wherein he had said that US had put Pakistan on notice. “What kind of friends are we that we are being given notices,” Ghafoor said.