By IRNA,
Srinagar, India : A day before Indian and Pakistani Foreign Ministers were likely to talk the Line of Control in Kashmir flared up once again with military personnel stationed along the dividing line exchanging heavy gunfire.
The firing took place in the Mendhar sector in Poonch district, barely days after the two neighbours made a tentative resumption of their stalled dialogue process.
The hour-long firing, interspersed with heavy explosions, caused India to lodge a strong protest with Pakistan for violating the ceasefire in force on their borders since 2003, and to sound an alert in the sector.
The Indian military accused Pakistani troops of opening unprovoked fire across the LoC, and shelling positions on this side with mortars.
The military, which mans the frontier on the India side, alleged that Pakistan forces resort to shelling across the LoC to provide cover to infiltrators.
“The firing from Pakistan was unprovoked, and we displayed extreme restraint. But when there was no let up, we retaliated in defence,” the military said.
Pakistan said that the Indian army had targeted its positions at several places in the sector and a number of shells had landed close to its pickets.
Neither side has, however, reported any casualties in the exchange of gun fire.
Indian Foreign Minister S M Krishna told the parliament on Thursday that India had decided to have a dialogue with Pakistan as there has been a “transformation” in ties with assurance coming at the level of Pakistan Prime Minister that India’s “core concern” with regard to terrorism would be addressed adequately.
“Indeed, I am talking to my Pakistan counterpart tomorrow (over phone),” he said.
The decision that the foreign ministers would discuss modalities for reducing “trust deficit” was taken at last week’s meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistan counterpart Yusuf Raza Gilani.