1 killed as Indo-Pak border firing continues

India and Pakistan have often accused each other of unprovoked firing along the disputed border. Photo taken from BBC

At least one person was killed and 16 wounded early today during cross-border firing between India and Pakistan along the disputed border of Jammu and Kashmir.
Tension continued since last night after at least nine civilians were killed and 50 wounded yesterday – the highest civilian casualty toll along the border in a decade.
Pakistani influential daily Dawn reports of one casualty and 12 wounded in the firing while Indian daily The Times of India reports of three civilian injuries.
Both the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistani Rangers accused each other for “unprovoked firing.”
The Time of India quoted BSF spokesperson Vinood Yadav to state that “mortar shelling and heavy firing” began from around 9:00pm last night.
“As many as 40 BSF posts were affected by the firing from Pakistan side,” he said adding that the firing was targeted along RS Purna, Kanachak and Pargwal sub-sectors along the border.
This was the 17th ceasefire violation by Pakistan in October, The Times of India reports.
Pakistani Dawn quotes a security analyst Talat Masood to state that the BJP-led government in India was following a hard-line policy regarding Kashmir. “They do not want to engage in dialogue at all it seems.”
The daily reported that tens of thousands of villagers were evacuated from Kashmir.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US was concerned about violence along the line of control.
“We continue to encourage the governments of India and Pakistan to engage in further dialogue to address these issues,” she told the media on Monday.
Earlier on Monday, five civilians from India and four from Pakistan were killed in cross-border firing along the border of Jammu and Kashmir.