ISLAMABAD – Pakistan and India have reported “intense” cross-border clashesin the disputed Kashmir territory a day after the United States reiteratedits offer to facilitate peace talks between the South Asian rivals.
The Pakistani military said Wednesday two of its soldiers were killed byIndian gunfire in an “unprovoked cease-fire violation” along the Line ofControl (LOC), which separates the Indian- and Pakistani-ruled parts of theHimalayan region.
The army’s media wing claimed retaliatory gunfire by Pakistani troops hadinflicted “substantial damage” on the Indian posts where the shooting wasinitiated.
An Indian Defense Ministry spokesman blamed Pakistani forces for resortingto the early morning “firing with small arms and intense shelling withmortars” in the southern Poonch district along the LOC. He did not reportany casualties and said the Indian army retaliated “befittingly.”
The nuclear-armed neighboring countries routinely accuse each other ofunprovoked attacks in violation of their 2003 mutual cease-fire in Kashmir.The clashes have killed dozens of civilians and soldiers on both sides inrecent months.
Islamabad and New Delhi claim Kashmir in its entirety and have fought twowars over the Muslim-majority region.
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US mediation offer
On Tuesday, William Todd, President Donald Trump’s nominee as the next U.S.ambassador to Pakistan, called for defusing the regional tensions.
“Our hope is that both countries will take the necessary steps to reducetensions. And as President Trump has offered, we are prepared to facilitatedialogue if both sides request it,” Todd told a congressional hearing inWashington.
Todd stressed in his testimony that the Trump administration was pursuing a“strong” relationship with both India and Pakistan.
