At least five people have been killed in gunfire along the Kashmir border, Pakistani officials have said. The border skirmishes come amid heightened tensions in Kashmir over India's move to revoke the region's autonomy.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Singh
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Cross-border skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani armies have killed at least five people, the Pakistani military said on Thursday.
Pakistan said a number of its troops died in the Indian attack, whereas a counterattack by the Pakistani border forces also killed Indian soldiers.
There was no immediate confirmation of the attacks from Indian officials.
Tensions in the Himalayan region are high due to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to strip the India-administered Jammu & Kashmir region of a special autonomous status on August 5.
Pakistan and India both rule the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir in part, but claim it in full. The restive region is a flash point between the nuclear-armed archrivals. The latest border clashes invoke fears of a larger military conflict between the two South Asian neighbors.
The Pakistani military said in a statement that the Indian border attacks were part of New Delhi's tactics to "divert attention" from the crisis in Kashmir.
"We do not believe in creating problems or prolonging them," Modi told the nation.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of backing militant Islamist groups in Kashmir. Earlier this week, Modi justified his Kashmir move by saying that it would end "terrorism and separatism" in the area.
Indian security officials said on Wednesday a group of militants backed by the Pakistani military tried to infiltrate India-administered Kashmir to launch an attack, according to Reuters partner ANI.
Pakistan has taken the matter to the UN Security Council, where it relies on China's backing. However, it is unclear that other Security Council members will support Islamabad. Russia has called for India and Pakistan to resolve the matter bilaterally, hinting that its UN envoy would not endorse any multilateral Security Council resolution on the matter.
India authorities have detained a number of state leaders and had troops deploy barricades and razor wire on roads to prevent protests. Internet and phone services were also suspended, prompting residents to communicate with notes and human couriers .
On Wednesday, Pakistani Prime Minister visited "Azad Kashmir" – the Pakistan-controlled part of the area – as a show of solidarity with the Muslim-majority region. He told the lawmakers there that Islamabad would "fight until the end" for Kashmir.
On August 15, 1947, British India split into two nations - Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. The two countries continue to be hostile towards each other despite some efforts to improve bilateral ties.
Image: AP
Birth of two nations
In 1947, British India was divided into two countries - India and Pakistan. Pakistan's founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah and his All-India Muslim League party had first demanded autonomy for Muslim-majority areas in the undivided India, and only later a separate country for Muslims. Jinnah believed that Hindus and Muslims could not continue to live together, as they were distinctly different "nations."
Image: picture alliance/dpa/United Archives/WHA
The line of blood
The partition of British India was extremely violent. Following the birth of India and Pakistan, violent communal riots began in many western areas, mostly in Punjab. Historians say that more than a million people died in clashes, and millions more migrated from Indian territory to Pakistan and from the Pakistani side to India.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP Images
The 1948 war
India and Pakistan clashed over Kashmir soon after their independence. The Muslim-majority Kashmir region was ruled by a Hindu leader, but Jinnah wanted it to be part of Pakistani territory. Indian and Pakistani troops fought in Kashmir in 1948, with India taking control of most part of the valley, while Pakistan occupied a smaller area. India and Pakistan continue to clash over Kashmir.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP Photo/M. Desfor
Like US and Canada?
Liberal historians say that Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi wanted cordial ties between newly independent states. Jinnah, for instance, believed that ties between India and Pakistan should be similar to those between the US and Canada. But after his death in 1948, his successors followed a collision course with New Delhi.
Image: AP
The 'other'
Indian and Pakistani governments present very different accounts of the partition. While India emphasizes the Indian National Congress' freedom movement against British rulers - with Gandhi as its main architect - Pakistani textbooks focus on a "struggle" against both British and Hindu "oppression." State propaganda in both countries paints each other as an "enemy" that cannot be trusted.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP Photo/M. Desfor
Worsening ties
Diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan have remained acrimonious for the past seven decades. The issue of Islamist terrorism has marred relations in the last few years, with New Delhi accusing Islamabad of backing Islamist jihadists to wage a war in India-administered Kashmir. India also blames Pakistan-based groups for launching terror attacks on Indian soil. Islamabad denies these claims.
Image: Picture alliance/AP Photo/D. Yasin
The way forward
Many young people in both India and Pakistan are urging their governments to improve bilateral ties. Islamabad-based documentary filmmaker Wajahat Malik believes the best way for India and Pakistan to develop a closer relationship is through more interaction between their peoples. "Trade and tourism are the way forward for us. When people come together, the states will follow suit," Malik told DW.
