Pakistan says four of its civilians killed in cross-border firing from India

Pakistan on Monday accused India of killing four civilians and wounding six others in cross-border fire, amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Pakistan on Monday accused India of killing four civilians and wounding six others in cross-border fire, amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Army soldiers move to a forward post on the Line of Control in Shaujian area near Poonch, in September 2015. There have been an increase in ceasefire violations across the LoC in the past month. (Gurinder Osan/HT File)

The incident occurred at Nakyal, which lies near the Line of Control (LoC) -- the de-facto border between the two countries, Pakistani officials said.

“At least four people including a woman were killed and six others were injured when Indian troops opened fire across the border in Nakyal sector,” local official Zeeshan Nisar told AFP.

He said the cross-border firing started at 8 am and continued through Monday with no break.

Adnan Khursheed, another local official, confirmed the firing and casualties.

Read | Indian soldier, woman killed as Pakistan targets J-K border again

Relations between the two countries have plummeted in recent months, as India blames Pakistan for sheltering the militants who attacked an army base in Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers in September.

Ten days later, India announced that it had carried out surgical strikes across the heavily-militarised border, taking out militant launch pads, although Islamabad denies these claims.

India followed several diplomatic channels to isolate Pakistan on the issue, resulting in the 19th SAARC summit being delayed indefinitely. Islamabad is hosting this year’s summit.

Last week, New Delhi said it was expelling a Pakistani visa official on charges of espionage; in response, Islamabad sent back an Indian diplomat.

Read | Shoaib Hussain: From a visa agent to a suspected Pakistani spy

Since the surgical strikes, cross-border violations have increased significantly -- at least 45 instances in the past month, killing four Border Security Force soldiers and injuring dozens.