2 Killed in India-Pakistan Border Gunfire

Two civilians were killed and three others injured on Thursday when Indian and Pakistani soldiers traded gunfire and shelled each other’s border posts in the disputed Kashmir region, officials from the two sides said.

Indian Army Spokesman Lt. Col. Manish Mehta said Pakistani soldiers attacked Indian military posts on Wednesday night with automatic weapons and mortars in Nowshera sector along the highly militarized Line of Control dividing Kashmir between the nuclear-armed rivals, ABC News reported.

Mehta said the Pakistani Army “initiated indiscriminate firing”, and called it an “unprovoked” violation of a 2003 ceasefire accord. Indian police said a 35-year-old woman was killed and her husband was injured when a Pakistani shell hit their home.

However, Pakistan denied that it initiated the clash and accused Indian soldiers of firing and shelling in at least five sectors, causing the death of a civilian and injuries to two others. The Foreign Ministry said it summoned an Indian diplomat in Islamabad to register a protest and “strongly condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations” by Indian troops.

In the past, both countries have often accused the other of initiating border skirmishes that led to the deaths of soldiers and civilians.

Earlier this month, India accused Pakistani soldiers of killing two Indian soldiers and mutilating their bodies. Pakistan denied the allegation.

Last year, Indian and Pakistani soldiers engaged in some of the worst fighting along the Line of Control since the two nations agreed to the ceasefire accord.

India and Pakistan have a long history of bitter relations over Kashmir, a Himalayan territory claimed by both. They have fought two of their three wars over the region since they gained independence from British colonial rule in 1947.