Thousands flee as clashes intensify
Thousands of Indians have fled from their homes as fighting between India and Pakistan spread along a 200-km (124 mile) stretch of the border in the disputed region of Kashmir.
Tension between the nuclear-armed rivals has risen since Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called off peace talks in August and clashes along stretches of their border have been erupting intermittently since October.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. It escalated last week when an Indian border guard and two Pakistani paramilitary soldiers were killed during exchanges of heavy fire.
Indian shelling killed four Pakistani civilians including a teenage boy and a woman near the eastern city of Sialkot on Monday, a military spokesman in Islamabad said. Earlier in the day, an Indian paramilitary soldier was killed in another clash along their tense border in disputed Kashmir.
At least 10 Indian and Pakistani soldiers and civilians have been killed in fighting over the past week.
About 6,000 civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir fled from their homes late on Monday as fighting moved to civilian areas, said Shantmanu, the divisional commissioner of Jammu region. About 4,000 left after fighting began last week.
"We had a narrow escape and there is a war-like situation," Sham Kumar, 54, from Sherpur village told Reuters. "Pakistani troops are using long-range weapons. It is the first time we have seen such intense shelling."
The violence comes days before US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to visit India. President Barack Obama is also due to visit India later this month.
The United States offered its condolences on the deaths, calling for greater dialogue between the two countries.
"Our thoughts would go out to the families of any lives who have been lost," Jen Psaki, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said.
"We certainly remain concerned and watch over tensions along the border. And we encourage dialogue between the countries," Psaki said.
Indian and Pakistani forces again exchanged gunfire and mortar bombs across parts of their border yesterday, an Indian Border Security Force official said.
"The firing is going on and we are giving befitting reply to Pakistani shelling," the official said.
Pakistani officials were not immediately available for comment.
The rivals, who have fought two wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, blame each other for the upsurge in clashes since October.
Meanwhile, Pakistan yesterday strongly rejected Indian allegations of the so-called “terror boat” and termed reports alleging that the Pakistani boat was on a terror mission "baseless and preposterous".
Rejecting the "smugglers at sea" theory, the Indian government on Monday claimed that the Pakistani boat which sank in the Arabian Sea after being intercepted by the Indian Coast Guard had "suspected terror links".
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