Pakistan says “unprovoked” firing by Indian border security forces killed four civilians on Monday.
A military statement says Indian forces are firing at the civilian population in the Zafarwal sector on the so-called Working Boundary, which separates Indian-ruled portion of disputed Kashmir from Pakistan.
It says Pakistani rangers, the paramilitary force guarding the eastern border with India, are responding to Indian fire. The Pakistan army says Indian forces are also targeting the nearby civilian population of Shakarghar.
The Associated Press reported Monday that Pakistani fire killed an Indian soldier in northern Kashmir's Samba sector.
India and Pakistan have intermittently exchanged fire across the Working Boundary over the past months in violation of a mutual 2003 cease-fire, though both sides accused each other of firing the first shot. The worst clashes occurred in October when nine people were killed on the Indian side and nine on the Pakistani side while thousands of villagers were forced to flee to safety.
Bilateral tensions have continued to escalate in the wake of border clashes, undermining hopes for an early resumption of a stalled peace dialogue aimed at normalizing ties.
