Cross-border firing kills Pakistani army officer in disputed Kashmir
Iran Press TV
Wed Aug 21, 2013 3:7PM GMT
Pakistan accuses Indian forces of killing an army officer and seriously wounding another along their de-facto border dividing the disputed Kashmir.
A Pakistani military official said the casualties followed unprovoked shelling by Indian troops across the so-called de facto border known as Line of Control in Kashmir. The deadly attack took place at 11:15 p.m. local time Tuesday night in Shakma sector near the town of Skardu.
“A Pakistan Army officer, Captain Sarfraz, (was killed) due to unprovoked Indian firing. A solider was seriously injured due to the shelling,” media outlets quoted the official as saying.
Pakistani military soldiers responded to the shelling, and the exchange of fire continued for three hours, added the official.
Tensions erupted earlier this month after five Indian soldiers were killed in an ambush. New Delhi has accused Pakistan's army of being involved in an overnight ambush that killed five Indian soldiers on August 6.
The border clashes threaten to torpedo recent overtures by the two countries to resume bilateral peace talks, which have been frozen since January.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence from Britain in 1947 -- two of them over Kashmir.
Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan by the UN-monitored Line of Control, but is claimed in full by both countries. It lies at the heart of more than 60 years of hostility between India and Pakistan.
Thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir over the past 20 years.
JR/SS
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
