Pak army says Indian troops killed youth in border firing

DPA Updated - March 12, 2018 at 09:38 PM.

Mortars fired by Indian troops across a de facto border dividing the disputed Kashmir region killed a civilian early Monday, the Pakistani army said.

“Indian forces resorted to unprovoked firing at three places in Kashmir,” a senior military official said as a 10-year-old fragile ceasefire continued to hold between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours.

Officials said the latest incident, the fourth in 24 hours, took place simultaneously in the Battal, Chirikot and Satwal sectors.

The Pakistani army said its border posts came under attack on Sunday from the Indian side in at least three places, triggering exchanges of fire.

The tension between New Delhi and Islamabad escalated last week after India accused Pakistani troops of killing five soldiers in a cross-border ambush.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said any escalation at the border would undermine the resumption of stalled peace talks between the two countries.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif last week said his country would continue to seek political engagement with India despite tension over border clashes.

Diplomatic authorities from both sides are finalising arrangements for an “ice-breaking” meeting between Sharif and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of a UN gathering in New York next month, officials said.

Published on August 12, 2013 07:11