‘Cross-border fire causes casualties in Kashmir’

India and Pakistan have each accused the other of firing across the Line of Control (LoC) in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, offering death tolls that they said resulted from the firing.

Indian media on Monday cited the Indian army as saying that Pakistan had used “small arms, automatics, mortars and missiles” in unprovoked fire against the Poonch and Rajouri districts along the LoC on Sunday morning, killing four soldiers and wounding another.

Pakistani officials said separately that one civilian had been killed when India started firing into Pakistani-held positions.

Each side said it had retaliated in kind.

Since independence from Britain and partition in 1947, India and Pakistan have laid mutual claim to Kashmir but have had only partial control over it.

The two have fought three wars over the region. They reached a ceasefire agreement in 2003; however, cross-border fire and mutual accusations of ceasefire violation occur regularly.

In January, New Delhi said four soldiers had been killed in unprovoked fire by Pakistan.

India says Pakistan has recently increased its cross-border shelling, particularly in Poonch.

The two countries often dispute one another’s version of events.

The recent increase in clashes risks sparking a fourth war between the nuclear-armed arch-rivals.