Pakistan warns of escalation as Indian firing kills 7 troops

islamabad — Pakistan’s military has said Indian troops fired on its soldiers in Kashmir on Monday, killing seven of them and prompting return fire, as officials warned that the tense standoff between the nuclear-armed rivals could escalate.

The two sides have traded fire repeatedly in recent weeks across the Line of Control, which divides the Himalayan region into Indian and Pakistani-controlled zones. The two nuclear rivals each claim the entire territory, and have fought two of their three wars over it.

“The international community should pay attention,” Defence Minister Khawaja Mohammed Asif told a private TV news channel. “It can escalate. This could be catastrophic for the region.”

He added that Pakistani troops had also inflicted losses on the Indian army, without elaborating.

An Indian army officer said Pakistan had fired on Indian troops in a breach of the cease-fire, and that they “effectively retaliated.” The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed there were no casualties on the Indian side.

The latest escalation was set off by a September attack on an Indian military base by militants. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, which has denied involvement.

Tensions have run high since Indian troops killed a popular Kashmiri rebel commander in July. The killing ignited some of the most violent protests in years, and dozens of people have been killed in India’s resulting crackdown.

Islamabad launched an international campaign to highlight alleged rights abuses by Indian security forces in Kashmir, while New Delhi blamed Pakistan for fanning the unrest.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif accused India of carrying out the latest cross-border skirmishes in an attempt to distract the world’s attention from the violent protests in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

“We are fully capable of defending our soil against any aggression,” he added in a statement.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry summoned Indian High Commissioner Gautam

It’s an attempt by India to distract the world’s attention from violent protests in Kashmir

Nawaz Sharif, prime minister

Bambawale to “condemn the unprovoked ceasefire violation by the Indian occupation forces on the LoC,” a Foreign Office statement said.

The foreign secretary emphasized that this “belligerent attitude of Indian occupation forces was a serious threat to the regional peace and security” and may lead to a “strategic miscalculation”. Chaudhry asked Bambawale to convey to the Indian government that “it must stop the provocative firing and observe the ceasefire”.

Sartaj Aziz, Foreign Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, condemned the “unprovoked” firing and expressed “grave” concern over the “recently increased frequency and duration of indiscriminate firing from the Indian side”.

Accusing the Indian troops of deliberately targeting villages and civilian, the adviser voiced apprehension over the Indian actions, which he said “constitute a threat to the maintenance of peace and

This belligerent attitude of Indian forces is a serious threat to the regional peace

Sartaj Aziz, foreign affairs adviser

security”. The two sides have also expelled diplomats in a tit-for-tat row that has even spilled into the glamorous world of Bollywood.

Relations between Pakistan and India have been strained for several months, while cross-frontier shelling has intensified in recent weeks leading to deaths of civilians and soldiers stationed along the disputed frontier. — AP, AFP