7 Pakistani soldiers killed at LoC; 'Threat to peace', says Islamabad

Pakistan on Monday said that seven of its soldiers were killed in firing by Indian troops along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, and termed it a "threat to peace".

"Seven soldiers embraced 'shahadat' at the LoC in Bhimber sector in cross-fire LoC violation by Indian troops late last (Sunday) night," said a statement by Inter-Services Public Relations, the Pakistani army's media wing.

The LoC divides the Indian and Pakistan parts of Kashmir.

It said Pakistani troops responded to India's "unprovoked firing" and "targeted Indian posts effectively".

Sartaj Aziz, Foreign Affairs Advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, condemned the "unprovoked" firing and expressed "grave" concern over the "recently increased frequency and duration of indiscriminate firing from the Indian side".

Accusing the Indian troops of deliberately targeting villages and civilian, the Adviser voiced "apprehension that the Indian actions, which constitute a threat to the maintenance of peace and security, may lead to strategic miscalculation".

Pakistani authorities last week lodged protests with India and with the UN military observers group over the "targeting of civilian population" by Indian troops.

Pakistan says the civilian death toll in Indian shelling has risen to at least 25 in the past few weeks.

--IANS

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