Sunday Times 2
India, Pakistan trade barbs over firing across Kashmir
View(s):MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan, June 14 (AFP) – Pakistan accused Indian troops on Friday of wounding two civilians, including a seven-year-old boy, in separate incidents of “unprovoked firing” from across the de facto border in the disputed Kashmir region.
India’s army in turn blamed Pakistan for firing on its troops, alleging its arch-rival and neighbour had breached a ceasefire.
The clashes were the first in the Himalayan region since a new right-wing Indian government came to power last month headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
They follow a spate of cross-border skirmishes last year between the nuclear-armed powers, which have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947.
On the Pakistani side, local police official Chaudhry Ameen told AFP “a seven-year-old boy was injured due to unprovoked shelling by Indian troops in Nakyal sector,” referring to a border district located 125 kilometres (78 miles) from Muzaffarabad city.
But Indian defence spokesman Manish Mehta said the Pakistani army was responsible for firing on Indian soldiers “using automatic weapons and mortars” in the district of Rajouri, which borders the Nakyal area in Pakistan.
Mehta said the Indian army responded to the firing, which continued for about half an hour, adding there were no casualties or damage reported on the Indian side.
Separately, another Pakistani civilian was wounded after Indian troops allegedly opened fire in Battal, a district 65 kilometres (40 miles) north of the first clash, according to local government official Malik Ayub.
Indian defence officials told AFP they had no knowledge of a second incident.
Friday’s events, described as a “ceasefire violation” by India, come a day before India’s new Defence Minister Arun Jaitley is scheduled to visit the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir for a security review.
The last war between the two countries was in 1999 when Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was last in charge of the national government and Pakistan’s current Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was in office during a previous stint in power.