By Islamuddin Sajid and Zahid Rafiq
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan
At least four Pakistani army soldiers were killed in a fresh round of border clashes with Indian forces on the disputed Kashmir border on Monday, Pakistan’s army said.
Three Indian soldiers were also killed and several others injured in an exchange of fire, Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan’s army media wing, said in a statement.
"Indian forces fired heavy mortar rounds on Pakistani soldiers when they were busy with line communication maintenance along the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmir's Jandrot sector," the statement added.
The latest cross border-attack incident comes days after Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat’s statement threatening a "nuclear bluff," drawing a strong condemnation from Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, who branded it irresponsible and not befitting Rawat’s office.
According to Pakistan's Foreign Office, so far this year, Indian forces have committed more than 70 cease-fire violation along the disputed Kashmir border, killing one civilian and injuring five.
Separately, five militants were killed by Indian forces while trying to cross the Line of Control from the Pakistani side to Dulanja in the Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Army said on Monday.
"An infiltration bid was foiled in the Uri sector by our forces today. Five terrorists have been killed so far, and the operation is still in progress," Army spokesperson Rajesh Kalia said in a statement.
Shesh Paul Vaid, the chief of police in the region, told the media that the five slain militants belonged to the Jaish-e-Muhammad militant outfit.
"JeM terrorists killed in Dulanja Uri while infiltrating in a joint operation by J&K Police, Army and CRPF [paramilitary],” said Vaid.
India and Pakistan share more than 950 kilometers (590 miles) of border in disputed Kashmir. The two countries signed a cease-fire agreement in 2003, but they violate it regularly.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.
Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – two of them over Kashmir.
Since 1989, Kashmiri resistance groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.
More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict so far, most by the Indian armed forces. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed region.
