Reactions as India and Pakistan trade accusations of violating Kashmir cease-fire
(6 Jan 2013) SHOTLIST 1. V J Khandare, General Officer Commanding 19th Infantry Division of Indian Army, arriving for news conference 2. SOUNDBITE (English): V J Khandare, General Officer Commanding the 19th Infantry Division of the Indian Army: "During the night, at about 3:30, the Pakistanis carried out unprovoked heavy firing using the heavy machine guns and the 82 mm mortar, high-explosive bombs and eliminating bombs on Indian Army posts. So that it is exactly when it started and continued till about eight in the morning." 3. Mid of Khandare as a reporter asks a question 4. SOUNDBITE (English): V J Khandare, General Officer Commanding the 19th Infantry Division of the Indian Army: "It is increasingly evident that Pakistani army continues to violate the ceasefire agreement and utilise these kind of firings maybe to facilitate infiltration attempts due to bad weather or due to the night conditions, but obviously the Indian Army has its vigil and the attempts of the infiltrators will not succeed." 5. Wide of Khandare during news conference 6. Khandare posing for photographers and leaving STORYLINE India and Pakistan traded accusations on Sunday of violating the cease-fire in Kashmir, with Islamabad accusing Indian troops of a cross-border raid that killed one of its soldiers and India charging that Pakistani shelling destroyed a home on its side. "During the night, at about 3:30, the Pakistanis carried out unprovoked heavy firing using the heavy machine guns and the 82 mm mortar, high-explosive bombs and eliminating bombs on Indian Army posts," VJ Khandar, General Officer commanding the 19th Infantry division of the Indian army, told reporters in Baramulla, in the Indian state of Jammu-Kashmir. He added that the attack "continued till about 8 (0230 GMT) in the morning." The accusation of a border crossing resulting in military deaths is unusual in Kashmir, where a cease-fire has held between these two wary, nuclear-armed rivals for a decade. Tensions over the disputed region are never far from the surface, however, as the countries have fought two full-scale wars over it. The Pakistani military's public relations office said in a statement that a Pakistani soldier was also critically wounded in the incident. It said troops exchanged gunfire after Indian forces crossed the "line of control" dividing the Indian and Pakistani sides of Kashmir in the Haji Pir sector and raided a post called Sawan Patra. The remote area where the incident occurred is up in the Himalayan mountain peaks. The Indian army called the allegations that Indian troops crossed the border "baseless", saying that Pakistani troops "initiated unprovoked firing" and fired mortars and automatic weapons at Indian posts early Sunday morning. "It is increasingly evident that Pakistani army continues to violate the cease-fire agreement and utilise these kind of firings maybe to facilitate infiltration attempts," said Khandare on Sunday. India often accuses Pakistan of sending militants into the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, often under cover of these types of skirmishes. Pakistan and India have been in the midst of a tentative rapprochement in recent months that could be upset by the cross-border raid. Just last month, the two countries announced a new visa regime designed to make cross-border travel easier. And they have been taking steps to facilitate economic trade as well. Neither action would have been possible without the backing of Pakistan's powerful military. India claims the militants had ties to Pakistani intelligence officials, which Islamabad denies. 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...
