By Abu Arqam Naqash
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) – Police in Pakistan-administered Kashmir said on Monday a civilian was shot dead by Indian forces along the Himalayan region’s disputed boundary, the second such incident since June despite a ceasefire accord.
Scenic Kashmir is claimed in full, but controlled only in part, by India and Pakistan, which have fought two wars and engaged in numerous clashes over the region since both won independence from British rule in 1947.
Riaz Mughal, Superintendent of Police in Kashmir’s Kotli region, said a 62-year-old man was hit by “unprovoked” Indian shooting while he was cutting grass near the Line of Control (LoC) – the de facto border between the two countries.
The Indian military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The LoC had seen intense cross-border firing for years before a ceasefire was reaffirmed by the two countries in 2021. Since then, such exchanges have become rare.
Before Monday’s incident, two people were killed in June by Indian firing, in what was the first major incident since 2021. India acknowledged the incident but said people were trying to slip across the border.
India says Pakistan trains and supports Islamist militants fighting for Kashmiri independence. Islamabad denies this charge and says it only provides moral and diplomatic support for “freedom fighters”.
(Additional reporting by Krishn Kaushik in New Delhi; writing by Gibran Peshimam; editing by Mark Heinrich)
