SRINAGAR: A Pakistani soldier has been killed in firing by Indian troops, Pakistan’s military says, an incident which may further escalate tension between them over recent killings.
Havaldar Mohyuddin was killed by “unprovoked” fire by Indian army while he manned a post in Battal sector near the Line of Control that divides Kashmir between the two countries, a Pakistan army spokesman told news agencies.
However the Indian Army blame Pakistan of firing first and “violating the ceasefire again”.
“We only responded to firing from the Pakistani side,” a Defence spokesperson, Col RK Palta said.
Diversion Tactics
The incident comes as the two countries denounced each other over a string of killings in the last five days.
On Tuesday, India accused Pakistani soldiers of crossing the LoC and killing two soldiers, “beheading one of them”.
Facing huge pressure from opposition parties, Indian authorities summoned the Pakistan’s high commissioner to New Delhi to discuss the incident.
Pakistan denied the accusations saying its investigations revealed “no evidence that the Tuesday incident had occurred”.
It instead blamed India of using “diversion tactics” to shift attention from the incident on Sunday, when, Pakistani military said, Indian soldiers crossed the LoC, raided a post and killed a soldier.
Routine Fortifications
Two Indian newspapers have suggested the Indian army may have provoked the recent fatal clashes.
One of the reports says Indian army commanders breached the 2003 ceasefire agreement by ordering new bunkers on the LoC after a 70-year-old woman crossed it unhindered last year.
But Defence ministry spokesman, Col Jagdish Dahiya denied the media reports.
“There had been routine maintenance of our fortifications in the area where the fighting occurred last Sunday, near the village of Charonda,” Col Dahiya told the BBC.
These were not new posts, he insisted.
“So this could not be considered a ceasefire violation.”
