Pakistani and Indian troops, Wednesday (today) exchanged fire across the line of control (LoC).
“Indian resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling on LoC in Shahkot, Jura, Battal, Karela, Bagh , Bagsar, Hotspring sectors today,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.
The ISPR said Indian forces were targeting the civilian population.
An intense exchange of fire is ongoing as Pakistani troops target Indian posts, the military’s media wing said.
Read more: Pakistan urges world to take notice of Indian aggression at LOC, working boundary
Indian army on Tuesday claimed three of its soldiers were killed along the LoC and threatened Pakistani forces of retribution. The army also claimed that the body of one of the dead soldiers had been “mutilated.” Pakistani foreign office however had rejected the claim, saying that the “reports are a fabrication and a blatant attempt to malign Pakistan”.
Tensions between Pakistan and India have been running high following an alleged ‘surgical strike’, unrest in Kashmir and the Uri army base attack in September.
Since then there have been repeated outbreaks of cross-border firing in Kashmir, with both sides reporting deaths and injuries including of civilians.
Read more: Pakistan rejects Indian claims of soldier body mutilation at LoC
The two countries have been at loggerheads since the killing of a populist rebel leader Burhan Wani by the occupied forces in the valley on July 8.
India also accuses Pakistan of being involved in an attack on an army base in Uri on September 18, in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed. Islamabad has denied the charge, which Delhi levelled without any substantial investigation or evidence.
Frequent incidents of cross-border fire have been witnessed since a heightened situation in occupied Kashmir. More than 100 protesters have lost their lives to the security forces in the valley while dozens blinded by use of pellet guns.
