MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th April, 2020) India and Pakistan have exchanged protest notes over the weekend incident with cross-border firing in Kashmir which resulted in civilian deaths, according to communications from their respective foreign ministries.
Indian media reported on Sunday that Pakistan opened fire at two villages along the Line of Control in the Jammu and Kashmir state, leaving three civilians killed - among them a woman and a child - and four others injured.
"A strong demarche was issued to Pakistan over the killing of three innocent Indian nationals," the Indian Times newspaper quoted a source in the Ministry of External Affairs as saying.
Pakistan, in turn, has blamed the firing on India and claimed that a Pakistani minor was killed during the attack of Indian forces and four other civilians sustained critical injuries. Islamabad summoned India's envoy to issue a protest note over the incident, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
"Indian Charge d'Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia was summoned by Director General (South Asia & SAARC) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, today, to register Pakistan's strong protest over the ceasefire violations by Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Dhudnial, Rakhchikri, Chirikot and Baroh Sectors on 12th April 2020, resulting in the shahadat [death] of a child and serious injuries to four innocent civilians," the statement read.
The situation in Kashmir has traditionally been strained due to conflicting sovereignty claims by India and Pakistan. Tensions escalated last August when the Indian government annulled Kashmir's special autonomous status and placed it under New Delhi's direct control.
