Pakistan says soldier killed by India border firing
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Islamabad: Indian firing killed one Pakistani soldier and wounded another on Saturday in the disputed Kashmir region, Pakistan's army said, as the nuclear armed nations traded blame for provoking the clash.
The Pakistani army accused Indian troops of staging an "unprovoked" attack across the countries' disputed border in Kashmir while the Indian army said it had fired in a "calibrated manner" in response to Pakistani firing.
"A soldier embraced martyrdom while another was seriously injured due to unprovoked firing by Indian troops in Rawala Kot area at the Line of Control (LoC)," the Pakistani army said in a statement.
India and Pakistan regularly accuse each other of violating a ceasefire along the LoC, which has largely held since 2003.
The Indian army said intermittent firing was continuing along the heavily militarised border late Saturday.
Kashmir, a Muslim majority territory, is divided into Indian and Pakistani administered sectors but is claimed in full by both sides.
"Pakistani troops started firing unprovoked in the morning, firing rocket propelled grenades, heavy machinegun fire and small arms," Indian defence spokesman Colonel R. K. Palta told AFP.
"Our side retaliated in a calibrated manner and there were no casualties on our side," he said, adding he had no comment on Islamabad's statement that Indian firing had caused Pakistani casualties.
In June, Pakistani troops shot and killed an Indian army officer near the disputed border in same Poonch region where Saturday's firing took place, Indian army officials had said.
Tensions spiked between New Delhi and Islamabad in January and February as six soldiers were killed in exchanges along the de facto border in Kashmir. Four of the soldiers killed were from Pakistan while two were from India. One of the Indians was beheaded, allegedly by Pakistanis.
Relations between the two powers were also strained earlier this year by both sides protesting the deaths of prisoners held by the other. The murder of an Indian prisoner in a Pakistani jail was followed by the tit-for-tat killing of a Pakistani prisoner in an Indian jail.
Pakistan's new prime minister Nawaz Sharif promised last month to "progressively pursue" good relations with India while actively seeking solutions to issues with India like disputed Kashmir.
Kashmir has been the trigger of two of three wars between India and Pakistan since independence from Britain in 1947.
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