ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan summoned India’s deputy high commissioner in Islamabad on Monday after four Pakistani soldiers were killed in shelling by Indian forces in the disputed Kashmir region, the Pakistani foreign office said.

The latest clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours comes amid heated challenges and threats of armed conflict.

A decades-old dispute over the mostly Muslim Himalayan region of Kashmir, claimed in full but ruled in part by both Pakistan and India, has heated up after a 2003 ceasefire brought more than a decade of relative peace.

“Despite calls for restraint, India continues to indulge in ceasefire violations. In 2018, the Indian forces have carried out more than 100 ceasefire violations,” the foreign office said, after summoning deputy high commissioner J.P. Singh.

Pakistan’s military earlier said that troops carrying out maintenance work were fired upon by Indian forces, adding that Pakistani forces responded, killing three Indian soldiers and wounding several others.

India’s military told Reuters that Pakistani forces fired first and no casualties were recorded on the Indian side.

On another section of the so-called Line of Control dividing Kashmir between the two sides, India said its forces on Monday killed five members of a pro-Pakistan militant group trying to slip into Indian Kashmir.

A Pakistani military source, who declined to be identified, denied that any militants had been killed trying to cross from the Pakistani side to the Indian side.

India accuses Pakistan of backing Islamist militants and encouraging them to launch attacks in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where a separatist insurgency has simmered for years, and in other parts of India.

Pakistan denies that and says India must hold negotiations on the future of Kashmir.

The neighbours have fought three wars since their independence from Britain, two of them over Kashmir.

Artillery exchanges across the LoC were common for years before the 2003 ceasefire in Kashmir largely brought an end to violence but clashes have been increasing over the past couple of years.

Relations have been particularly tense since India said it carried out cross-border surgical strikes against militants hiding in Pakistan in 2016. Pakistan said Indian forces never crossed onto its territory.

On Friday, Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat said his forces were willing to carry out operations inside Pakistan despite the risk of a nuclear conflict, the Indian daily the Hindustan Times reported.

The comment drew derision from Pakistan’s foreign minister who termed the statement “irresponsible” and an “invitation for nuclear encounter”.

Pakistan’s military has said 52 civilians were killed and 254 wounded by Indian shelling in the region last year, more than in all of the previous 14 years combined.</s>ISLAMABAD, - Four Pakistani soldiers were killed on Monday in shelling by Indian forces in the disputed Kashmir region, the Pakistani army said, the latest clash between the nuclear-armed neighbors who have also been exchanging heated challenges.



A decades-old dispute over the mostly Muslim Himalayan region of Kashmir, claimed in full but ruled in part by both Pakistan and India, has heated up in recent years after a 2003 ceasefire brought more than a decade of relative peace.



"Troops were busy in line communication maintenance when they were fired upon and hit by heavy mortar round," the Pakistani military said of the attack in which the four men were killed, in the Jandrot region.



Pakistani forces responded, killing three Indian soldiers and wounding several, it said.



India's military told Reuters that Pakistani forces fired first and no casualties were recorded on the Indian side.</s>Pakistan’s military says Indian troops have fired across the border in the divided region of Kashmir, killing four Pakistani soldiers in the latest cease-fire violation in the disputed Himalayan region.

It says the Pakistani troops returned fire, reportedly killing three Indian soldiers. India didn’t confirm that report and the Pakistani army’s claim of Indian deaths could not be independently verified.

The statement says the Pakistani soldiers were “doing maintenance” on communication lines in the border village of Kotli when they came under fire on Monday. It says the troops were on the Pakistani side of the boundary.

The two nuclear-armed neighbors routinely trade fire in Kashmir, which both countries claim in its entirety.

Pakistan and India have fought two wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.</s>ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Four Pakistani soldiers were killed on Monday in shelling by Indian forces in the disputed Kashmir region, the Pakistani army said, the latest clash between the nuclear-armed neighbors who have also been exchanging heated challenges.

A decades-old dispute over the mostly Muslim Himalayan region of Kashmir, claimed in full but ruled in part by both Pakistan and India, has heated up in recent years after a 2003 ceasefire brought more than a decade of relative peace.

"Troops were busy in line communication maintenance when they were fired upon and hit by heavy mortar round," the Pakistani military said of the attack in which the four men were killed, in the Jandrot region.

Pakistani forces responded, killing three Indian soldiers and wounding several, it said.

India's military told Reuters that Pakistani forces fired first and no casualties were recorded on the Indian side.

On another section of the so-called Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir between the two sides, India said its forces on Monday killed five member of a pro-Pakistan militant group trying to slip into Indian Kashmir.

"They crossed the Jhelum river which is de facto border in the area. We allowed them to cross the river and challenged them. All of the five who crossed the river were killed," said an Indian officer, Major General Gulab Singh Rawat.

A Pakistani military spokesman was not immediately available for comment on the second incident.

India accuses Pakistan of backing Islamist militants and encouraging them to attack soldiers in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where a separatist insurgency has simmered for years, and in other parts of India.

Pakistan denies that and says India must hold negotiations on the future of Kashmir.

The neighbors have fought three wars since their independence from Britain, two of them over Kashmir.

Artillery exchanges across the LoC were common for years before the 2003 ceasefire in Kashmir largely brought an end to violence but clashes have again been increasing over the past couple of years.

Relations have been particularly tense since India said it had carried out cross-border surgical strikes against militants hiding in Pakistan in 2016.

Pakistan said Indian forces never crossed onto its territory.

On Friday, Indian army chief General Bipin Rawat said his forces were willing to carry out operations inside Pakistan despite the risk of a nuclear conflict, the Indian daily the Hindustan Times reported.

"If we will have to really confront the Pakistanis, and a task is given to us, we are not going to say we cannot cross the border because they have nuclear weapons. We will have to call their nuclear bluff," Rawat said at a press briefing.

The comment drew derision from Pakistan's foreign minister who termed the statement "irresponsible" and an "invitation for nuclear encounter".

"If that is what they desire, they are welcome to test our resolve. The general's doubt would swiftly be removed," Khwaja Asif said on Twitter.

Pakistan's military has said 52 civilians were killed and 254 wounded by Indian shelling in the region last year, more than in all of the previous 14 years combined.

The two sides accuse each other of repeated violations of the 2003 ceasefire.</s>At least four Pakistani army soldiers were killed in a fresh round of border clashes with Indian forces on the disputed Kashmir border on Monday, Pakistan’s army said.

Three Indian soldiers were also killed and several others injured in an exchange of fire, Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR), the Pakistan’s army media wing, said in a statement.

"Indian forces fired heavy mortar rounds on Pakistani soldiers when they were busy with line communication maintenance along the Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmir's Jandrot sector," the statement added.

The latest cross border-attack incident comes days after Indian Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat’s statement threatening a "nuclear bluff," drawing a strong condemnation from Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, who branded it irresponsible and not befitting Rawat’s office.

According to Pakistan's Foreign Office, so far this year, Indian forces have committed more than 70 cease-fire violation along the disputed Kashmir border, killing one civilian and injuring five.

India and Pakistan share more than 950 kilometers (590 miles) of border in disputed Kashmir. The two countries signed a cease-fire agreement in 2003, but they violate it regularly.

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – two of them over Kashmir.

Since 1989, Kashmiri resistance groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict so far, most by the Indian armed forces. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed region.</s>Four Pakistani soldiers were killed in a mortar attack by Indian forces along the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region as tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours continue to rise.

The Pakistani troops were conducting maintenance on communication lines in the border village of Kotli when they came under attack on Monday, the military said.

After the mortar round exploded, Pakistani forces responded and killed three Indian soldiers while wounding several others, it said.

An Indian military official, however, blamed Pakistani soldiers for initially attacking Indian positions and claimed their counter-offensive killed seven Pakistani soldiers.

The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with military rules, said Indian soldiers did not suffer any casualties.

At another area along the de facto border, India said its forces killed five fighters from a pro-Pakistan group trying to slip into Indian-administered Kashmir on Monday.

"We allowed them to cross the river and challenged them. All of the five who crossed the river were killed," said Major-General Gulab Singh Rawat.

"Pakistan Army has been continuously trying to help terrorists sneak into India," Rawat said. "If we are forced then we may resort to other action by stepping up [a] military offensive."

On Friday, Rawat said his forces were willing to carry out operations inside Pakistan despite the risks.

"If we will have to really confront the Pakistanis, and a task is given to us, we are not going to say we cannot cross the border because they have nuclear weapons. We will have to call their nuclear bluff," Rawat told a press briefing.

The comments drew derision from Pakistan's foreign minister who called the statement "irresponsible" and an "invitation for nuclear encounter".

"If that is what they desire, they are welcome to test our resolve. The general's doubt would swiftly be removed," Kwawja Asif said on Twitter.</s>Seven Pakistani army men, including a major, were on Monday killed and four others injured as the Indian Army retaliated to a ceasefire violation in Mendhar sector and destroyed a Pakistani post along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district.

“Pakistani troops violated the ceasefire along the LoC and resorted to shelling on forward posts in Jaglote belt in Mendhar sector early today,” a senior army officer said.

Indian troops guarding the LoC took positions and targeted the Pakistani post involved in the ceasefire violation in Kotli by retaliatory action of heavy shelling, he said.

In the retaliation, seven Pakistani soldiers were killed and four other soldiers injured, the officer said, adding the dead included a major.

The retaliation also comes after an Indian Army solider was killed in Pakistan firing along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on last Saturday.

The action comes on a day when security forces foiled an infiltration bid near the Line of Control in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, killing five Jaish-e-Mohammad militants.

In a stern message to Pakistan, Army Chief Gen Bipin Rawat on Monday said the army was ready to escalate military offensive against terror groups if the neighbouring country forces it do so and asserted that no anti-India activities will be allowed to succeed in the state.</s>An Indian army soldier keeps guard from a bunker near the border with Pakistan

The latest clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours comes amid heated challenges and threats of armed conflict.

Pakistan’s military earlier said that troops carrying out maintenance work were fired upon by Indian forces, adding that Pakistani forces responded, killing three Indian soldiers and wounding several others.

India’s military told Reuters that Pakistani forces fired first and no casualties were recorded on the Indian side.

The neighbours have fought three wars since their independence from Britain, two of them over Kashmir.</s>The Indian Army carried out a “retaliatory action” against Pakistani troops, killing seven of their soldiers and injuring four others along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Poonch district on Monday.

The action comes after an Indian solider was killed in Pakistani firing along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district on Saturday.

“Army has carried out retaliation against Pakistani troops across Jaglote area along the LoC in Mendhar sector of Poonch district”, a senior Army officer told PTI.

“In the retaliatory action, there were seven fatal causalities to Pakistani troops and four others injured,” he said.</s>The Indian Army on Monday carried out a "retaliatory action" against Pakistani troops, killing seven of their soldiers and injuring four others along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

The action comes after an Indian soldier was killed in Pakistani firing along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district on Saturday.

"Army has carried out retaliation against Pakistani troops across Jaglote area along the LoC in Mendhar sector of Poonch district", a senior army officer told PTI.

"In the retaliatory action, there were seven fatal casualties to Pakistani troops and four others injured," he said.

Sources told The Indian Express that the Pakistani troops resorted to sudden mortar shelling and small arms fire on forward Indian positions along the LoC in Dehri Dabsi area around 10:15 am and the Indian Army retaliated strongly.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani government also released a statement:

Security forces on Monday also foiled an infiltration bid in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir, killing five Jaish-e-Mohammad militants. A defence spokesman said that five militants were killed.

This comes as army chief Bipin Rawat said that India will scale up "action" if Islamabad continues supporting terror and infiltration of militants.

"On the Line of Control (LoC), the Pakistan Army is continuing ceasefire violations and helping terrorists to infiltrate (into India). We are using our might to teach them a lesson. Any provocative action from Pakistan's side will get a befitting reply," he said.
Four Pakistani soldiers are killed in shelling by the Indian Army across the disputed Kashmir frontier.