SRINAGAR: Indian troops shot dead a Pakistani soldier along the de facto border in the disputed Kashmir region in the first deadly exchange since a truce was agreed a month ago, officials said yesterday.
An Indian army spokesman said that the soldier had been killed in a firefight in which one Indian soldier was also wounded, and an AK47 rifle was discovered by his side when the body was recovered.
"We detected some suspicious movement yesterday near the LoC (Line of Control) inside our territory and the challengers from our side fired and in the ensuing firefight he was killed," Lt. Col. Rajesh Kalia, a spokesman for the Indian army's northern command, told AFP.
"At that time we did not know he was a Pakistani soldier. Kalia said that India expected to return the body to the Pakistani authorities later in the day.
The Pakistani military condemned the killing, saying the soldier had become lost and crossed the LoC "inadvertently" and that civilians at the scene had seen him being questioned by the Indians.
Meanwhile, authorities re-introduced a strict curfew across most of Indian-controlled Kashmir ahead of Friday prayers, as residents simmered with anger over the secret execution of a Kashmiri man in the Indian capital.
Police drove through the streets of Srinagar, the main city, ordering residents to stay indoors. Despite the curfew, clashes and protests broke out in several places, police said.
Indian troops kill Pakistani soldier on Kashmir border
