ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday said it has lodged a protest through diplomatic channels with India over the killing of a soldier in the disputed Kashmir region.

The military on Thursday said the soldier had died in fresh firing from Indian troops along the area’s de facto border in the evening.

“Condemning the incident, Pakistan called upon India to restrain its security forces from unprovoked firing and shelling across the LoC (Line of Control) and the working boundary,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.

Recent exchanges of fire across the de facto border between India and Pakistan in Kashmir, which both countries administer in part but claim in full, have killed at least 20 civilians and forced thousands to flee their homes.

The nuclear-armed neighbors, who have fought two wars over Kashmir, have traded blame for the upsurge in firing and shelling which started on Oct. 6.

India called off peace talks in August after Pakistan first consulted Kashmiri separatists, a move some saw as a sign of a tougher stance by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new right-wing government.

60 Indian fishermen arrested

Pakistani marine forces have arrested more than 60 Indian fishermen for violating territorial waters in Arabian Sea, police said on Friday.

The fishermen strayed into Pakistani waters on Thursday and Pakistan’s Maritime Security Agency (MSA) arrested them and handed over to the police.

“MSA has handed over 61 Indian fishermen to us and 11 of their boats,” senior police officer Sheeraz Nazir told AFP.

The fishermen were handed over to the police for further legal proceedings that generally mean months or even years in prison.

Such arrests are frequently carried out by both countries, as the maritime border in the Arabian Sea is poorly defined and many fishing boats lack the technology needed to be certain of their precise location.

The fishermen often languish in jail even after serving their term, as poor diplomatic ties between the two arch-rivals mean fulfilling official requirements can take a long time.