Pakistan summoned the Indian ambassador yesterday after a “spy drone” was shot down in disputed Kashmir, as officials said five people were killed in cross-border shelling between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The flare-up between the two nations, who have fought three wars since 1947, comes days after their prime ministers met in Russia in an apparent sign of a thaw in relations.
The Pakistani military said on Wednesday that troops had shot down “an Indian spy drone used for aerial photography” close to the de facto border in Kashmir.
A picture in Pakistani media purportedly of the downed drone showed a small, lightweight model of a type widely available for commercial purchase.
The Indian army and air force both denied any of their drones had been shot down or had crashed, according to a Press Trust of India report.
Following the incident, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs hauled in the Indian high commissioner, or ambassador, to hear a “strong protest over airspace violation,” a statement said.
The ministry said the intrusion of the drone, which came down in the Pakistan-administered part of Kashmir, was a violation of international law and territorial integrity.
Pakistan also protested to the envoy over what it called “unprovoked ceasefire violations” along the disputed border.
The two nations both control part of Kashmir, but claim the territory in full and have fought two wars over the Himalayan region.
They agreed on a border ceasefire in 2003, which has largely held, though violations are regularly reported from both sides.
Pakistani officials said Indian fire on Wednesday and yesterday had killed at least four civilians, including one in Kashmir and three near the town of Sialkot, which lies close to the border.
For its part, India protested to Pakistan over the firing, a government source said.
The complaint was registered after India claimed one of its civilians was killed in fire near the undisputed part of the de facto border in Jammu’s Akhnoor sector on Wednesday, the source said.
“Our high commission in Pakistan has lodged a protest. This matter was also taken up with Pakistani High Commissioner Abdul Basit in New Delhi,” the source said.
India said the latest flare-up had killed a 42-year-old woman and injured six others, including three border police.
Television footage showed Indian villagers holding empty mortar shells and cartridges, which they alleged had been fired by Pakistani rangers.
On Friday last week, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi accepted an invitation from Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to visit Pakistan next year, raising hopes of an improvement in perennially difficult relations.
After months of stalemate and recriminations, Modi and Sharif spoke for about an hour while visiting Russia for a regional summit.
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