India border firing kills young boy in Kashmir: ISPR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Indian troops have traded fire in Kashmir in an exchange that killed a young boy in the Pakistan-controlled section of the Himalayan region, officials said on Wednesday.

In a statement, Pakistan’s military said India targeted civilian residents with artillery, mortars and other weapons the previous night in the border village of Lipa along the Line of Control (LOC).

India, however, blamed Pakistani troops for initiating the fire. Rajesh Kalia, an Indian army spokesperson, said Pakistani troops in an unprovoked cease-fire violation targeted the villages of Naugam and Baramulla. He said the Indian side responded adequately.

The latest deadly exchange happened hours after dozens of Indian and Pakistani diplomats and embassy staff returned home to India and Pakistan.

India had earlier ordered Pakistan to reduce its embassy staff in New Delhi by half and recalled half of its own embassy staff in Islamabad, following the arrest of two of its embassy employees over a hit-and-run road accident.

LIST OF PRISONERS: Despite the uproar, Pakistan and India stuck to an agreement to share — as they do every July 1 — the updated lists of one another’s prisoners. Islamabad on Wednesday handed over the names of 324 Indian prisoners it holds while New Delhi handed over a list with the names of 362 Pakistani prisoners held in India.

The exchange happened as per the provisions of the 2008 agreement under which such lists are exchanged every year on Jan.1 and July 1, an official statement of the Ministry of External Affairs said.

The government called for early release and repatriation of the civilian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel and fishermen, along with their boats, from Pakistan’s custody.

Pakistan was asked to expedite the release and repatriation of seven Indian civilian prisoners and 106 Indian fishermen to India whose nationality has been confirmed and conveyed to Islamabad, the statement said. In addition, Pakistan has been asked to provide immediate consular access to Indian fishermen and 18 believed-to-be Indian civilian prisoners who are in its custody.