PAKISTANI and Indian troops have clashed in Kashmir, leaving 11 people dead and wounding more than 30 others on both sides, officials said.
The fighting came amid increasing tension between the south Asian neighbours.
Pakistani military and government officials blamed India for initiating the fighting by firing rockets and mortar shells that killed five Pakistani civilians and wounded 27 others overnight into Friday.
A statement called it the latest unprovoked incident of ceasefire violations by India and said Pakistani troops responded by targeting Indian posts.
Raja Shahid Mahmood, a government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, said several homes were damaged.
“People are running for safety in panic and India is deliberately targeting the civilian population,” he told the Associated Press.
In Srinagar, the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, the Indian army said three soldiers were killed and three wounded.
According to police officer Mohammed Ashraf, three Indian civilians were also killed by Pakistani shelling. He said one civilian was in critical condition in hospital and two houses were damaged in the shelling.
Colonel Rajesh Kalia, an Indian army spokesman, blamed Pakistan for starting the clash.
The latest development comes a day after Pakistan summoned an Indian diplomat to protest over what it called India’s violation of a 2003 ceasefire. Two civilians were wounded on Thursday on the Pakistani side of the border in that exchange of fire.
Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.
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