Skirmishes continue along Kashmir border

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani and Indian troops traded fire in a hotly contested area along the Kashmir border where the nuclear-armed rivals fought a bloody conflict over a decade ago, military officials said Wednesday. The Pakistani military said one of its army captains was killed and another soldier seriously wounded in the fighting.
The two sides have accused each other of a series of deadly attacks along the border over the last two weeks that have threatened to derail an expressed desire from the leaders of both countries to improve relations after decades of war and animosity.
The fighting Tuesday night in the vicinity of Kargil, where Pakistan and India fought a three-month conflict in 1999, could raise tensions even further. Both sides accused the other of starting the fighting.
A Pakistani military official accused Indian troops of “unprovoked” shelling starting at 11:15 p.m. local time Tuesday night in Shakma sector in Pakistan-held Kashmir, across the border from Kargil on the Indian side. An army captain was killed and another soldier was seriously wounded. Pakistani troops responded to the shelling, and the exchange of fire continued for three hours, the official said.
An Indian army officer said Indian troops in Kargil only responded after Pakistani soldiers fired upon their positions using mortars and automatic weapons. The officials both spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military policy.
The Indian army accused Pakistani troops of firing into Kargil last week as well, but the Pakistani military denied the allegation. There was no such denial on Wednesday, meaning it was the first confirmed fighting in Kargil in years.
Kashmir is divided between Pakistan and India but claimed in its entirety by both. The countries have fought two major wars over the disputed territory since they both gained independence from Britain in 1947.
The Kargil conflict started in May 1999 after the Pakistani army chief at the time, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, quietly sent soldiers into Kargil. The fighting cost hundreds of lives and could have led to nuclear war. The US helped mediate an end to the conflict in July.
A 2003 cease-fire agreement has largely calmed the Kashmir border. But the two sides occasionally accuse each other of violating it by firing mortars or gunshots, and several soldiers were killed on each side in January in cross-border attacks.