Pakistan on Friday contradicted the Border Security Forces’ statement and said that none of its soldiers died in cross-border firing. "Indian claims of killing any Pakistani soldier at the Working Boundary is absolutely baseless and untrue," read a statement issued by Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations.
Islamabad further added that such claims were being made to divert the attention from the unrest in Kashmir. “India’s claim is part of their propaganda campaign aimed to hide their losses and divert world attention from the Kashmir issue.”
Earlier on Friday, the BSF had said that at least 15 Pakistani soldiers were killed after cross-border firing continued along the Line of Control in the Pallanwala, Sunderwani, Nowshera and RS Pura sectors of Jammu and Kashmir. The Defence Ministry had said earlier that the Pakistani Army was using "small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars", and that the Indian Army was "responding appropriately and befittingly."
Civilians facing fallout
The RS Pura sector has been witnessing shelling from across the border for the past four days. On Thursday, a head constable of the BSF had died from injuries sustained during cross-border firing in RS Pura sector, and at least 17 civilians were injured in the shelling. On Sunday, an 8-year-old boy and a BSF soldier were killed during cross-border firing in RS Pura sector, while Pakistan reported the death of two civilians, including a 1-year-old infant. Several cases of injuries have been reported on both sides of the international border since the violence in the region began.
On Friday night, a civilian woman was shot dead in her home by militants in Pulwama district. According to some reports, the militants barged into her home and killed her.
The feud
India has said that there has been an increase in ceasefire violations after it carried out surgical strikes on "terror launchpads" along the LoC with Pakistan on September 29. Officials reported breaches on October 3, 4 and 5 along the border in the region. On September 18, militants had attacked an Indian Army installation in Uri, killing 19 soldiers. India had accused Pakistan of being involved in the strike, but Islamabad has dismissed the allegations as baseless.
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