Reuters Posted online: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 at 1108 hours IST Updated: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 at 1117 hours IST
JAMMU, January 19: The Indian army said on Wednesday Pakistan had violated a 14-month-old ceasefire after mortars were fired across the LoC, wounding a young girl.
Pakistan denied the charge, which is nevertheless the latest in a string of setbacks to a slow-moving peace process between India and Pakistan.
The Indian army said the wounded girl had to be treated in hospital after 15 mortar shells were fired late on Tuesday from Pakistani territory into Poonch district, 250 km (160 miles) north of Jammu,.
"This is certainly a violation of the ceasefire. This has happened for the first time since the ceasefire," Lieutenant Colonel R.K. Chibber, spokesman of India's 16th Corps, told Reuters.
India says Pakistan arms and trains militants crossing into Kashmir to join an insurgency against Indian rule there.
Indian officials said five militants were killed while trying to sneak into Kashmir in the same district earlier on Tuesday, and said the shelling could have been an attempt to provide cover to other infiltrators.
Asked whether Pakistani troops or militants had fired the mortars, Chibber said: "We are trying to ascertain what actually happened. We have maintained restraint."
Pakistan denied any violation of the ceasefire and said there had been no infiltration from its side.
"It is totally incorrect," said Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan. "We also heard a blast between 1915 and 1930 hrs, IST on Tuesday evening from the side of Kashmir but we don't know the source."
JAMMU, January 19: The Indian army said on Wednesday Pakistan had violated a 14-month-old ceasefire after mortars were fired across the LoC, wounding a young girl.
