+4:3 People flee latest in Kashmir; funeral of soldier killed in fighting; army presser
(6 Jan 2015) Indian paramilitary officials on Tuesday paid homage to an Indian soldier who they said was killed when Pakistani troops fired gunshots and mortar shells in northern Kashmir, officials said. The soldier was killed on Monday when Pakistani forces opened fire in the Samba border sector of the border, the Indian Border Security Force said. The violence came after a lull in the countries' cross-border firing. Pakistan blamed India for the violence and said two civilians were killed by Indian shelling. The countries often trade accusations about who is to blame for firing and shelling in the disputed region, and tensions have heightened in recent days. Thousands of villagers in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have fled their homes amid days of artillery battles between Indian and Pakistani soldiers along their highly-militarised border. Indian district authorities had evacuated more than 6,000 people to relief camps by Tuesday, nearly a week after the shelling broke out. Some people went back to their homes and fields during a daytime lull in the firing on Sunday but returned to government-run relief camps later, a government official said. At least a dozen people have been killed in the latest border skirmishes. India says Pakistani troops committed more than 550 violations of a cease-fire in 2014, the most since the two nations signed the accord in 2003. While minor skirmishes are common, the worst violation of the cease-fire accord left nine civilians dead in Pakistan and nine in India in October. India accuses Pakistan of sending militants into the Indian-administered part of Kashmir under the cover of the firing. India and Pakistan have fought two wars over control of Kashmir since they won independence from Britain in 1947. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
