国际英语新闻:India,Pakistan armies exchange fires in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The armies of India and Pakistan exchanged fires on line-of-control ( LoC) in Kashmir, officials said Wednesday.

The ceasefire violation took place Tuesday along the LoC near Kamalkot-Uri of frontier Baramulla district, about 125 km northwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian- controlled Kashmir.

The armed clash broke out hours after Indian army said Pakistani troops and militants killed five Indian troops and wounded another in a deadly ambush near Sarla in frontier Poonch district, around 185 km south of Srinagar.

"The exchange took place yesterday at 1230 hours (local time) and lasted until 1400 hours," said Col Naresh Vig, Indian army spokesman. "Pakistani troops fired on our posts and our troopers retaliated in calibrated manner."

Vig said there was no report of any damage or casualty from Indian side.

However, a statement issued by Pakistan military Wednesday said they have lodged a strong protest over India's ceasefire violation on LoC in Pandu sector, in which two Pakistani troopers were critically wounded.

Meanwhile, director General of Military Operations (DGMOs) from India and Pakistan spoke by hotline on Wednesday, day after the killing of five Indian troopers. Indian side has lodged a strong protest over the killings. However, Pakistan has rejected the Indian allegation saying "there was no truth in it."

Indian army initially accused Pakistani Border Action Team of ambushing an Indian army patrol. However, within hours the statement was withdrawn with Indian Defense Minister A K Antony reading a statement in Indian parliament, saying the ambush was carried out by about 20 heavily armed militants along with persons dressed in Pakistan army uniforms.

The retraction of the statement evoked a sharp criticism from the India's main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday, slamming the government for giving "clean chit" to Pakistan.

The killings rocked Indian parliament for the second straight day with enraged lawmakers mostly from opposition parties up in arms against the government. Both houses of the parliament Wednesday again witnessed adjournments.

The killings have come at a time when New Delhi and Islamabad were trying to normalize ties and resume talks. The killings are likely to overshadow the resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue process.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their Independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir.

In January this year skirmishes between armies of two nuclear neighbors claimed the lives of five troopers (two from India and three from Pakistan). Both countries blamed each other for violating the ceasefire.

New Delhi and Islamabad in 2003 agreed to observe a ceasefire along the international border and LoC in Kashmir. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the ceasefire remains in effect.

Indian army said it has killed 14 militants near LoC in frontier Kupwara district, northwest of Srinagar city, during a sequel of gunfights that continued last week.

According to officials the militants were trying to infiltrate into Indian-controlled part.

According to Indian Defense Ministry, at least 57 ceasefire violations have been recorded since Jan. 1. The officials say compared with last year attempts to infiltrate across the LoC have doubled this year.