Kashmir: Pakistan accuses India of shelling, killing man
By AP News Aug 12, 2013
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan accused Indian troops of shelling its territory along the disputed Kashmir border on Monday and killing a civilian, the latest in a series of allegations by both sides over the past week.
The resumption of violence along the border threatens to sabotage recent overtures by the two countries aimed at resuming peace talks. Pakistan and India have long been enemies and have fought three major wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947, two of them over control of Kashmir.
Indian protesters burn an effigy of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif during a protest in Ahmadabad, India, Saturday. Pic: AP.
A Pakistani military official accused Indian troops of “unprovoked firing” in the early morning hours Monday in three sectors along the Kashmir border: Battal, Chirikot and Satwal.
A civilian named Muhammad Zubair was killed by the shelling, the official said.
A senior Indian army commander said Indian troops were responding to unprovoked firing from Pakistan and targeted military posts, not civilian areas. The firing from Pakistani started last night and continued through the night in two places, the commander said. He accused Pakistan of regularly violating a 2003 cease-fire in Kashmir over the past four days.
The Pakistani and Indian officials both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.
The mountainous Kashmir border is divided between Pakistan and India but claimed in its entirety by both.
India directly accused Pakistani soldiers and militants of crossing into its portion of Kashmir last Tuesday and killing five Indian soldiers. The Indian defense minister, A.K. Antony, has demanded those involved be punished.
Pakistan has denied its soldiers killed any Indian troops and accused Indian soldiers of severely wounding a Pakistani citizen along the border last Thursday. India has denied the allegation.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his concern about the incidents last week and said both sides should make sure the situation doesn’t escalate. He came to power in June with the intention of improving relations with India, especially when it comes to trade that Pakistan desperately needs to bolster its stuttering economy.
But analysts are worried that the latest violence could give ammunition to hawks on both sides to sabotage any moves toward normalizing relations.
