Pakistani soldier killed in cross-border fire in Kashmir

KARACHI, Pakistan

A Pakistani soldier was killed in fresh round of firing at disputed Kashmir border on Tuesday, the military said.

The clash -- latest in a string of border skirmishes -- took place at Shahkot sector along the Line of Control (LoC) -- a de facto border that divides the picturesque Himalayan valley between Pakistan and India.

"Indian army troops resorted to unprovoked fire in Shahkot Sector along [the] LoC with heavy weapons. During the exchange of fire, one brave soldier Sepoy Wajid Ali valiantly responding to Indian ceasefire violation, embraced Shahadat (martyrdom)," a statement from the Inter Services Public Relations, Pakistan military's media wing, said.

The statement added that Pakistan Army responded effectively, and "inflicted heavy losses on enemy in terms of men and material."

The latest exchange of fire occurs at a time when the two nuclear-armed rivals are struggling to contain the coronavirus outbreak.

On Sunday, leaders from the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) organization held a virtual summit to chalk out a common strategy for combatting the virus that has spread to over 152 countries so far.

Long-fraught relations between the two nuclear rivals further flared up after India scrapped the special provisions of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The region has been under a near-complete lockdown since Aug. 5, 2019.

Several rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have repeatedly called on India to lift restrictions and release political detainees.

India and Pakistan both hold Kashmir in parts but claim it in full. China also controls part of the contested region, but it is India and Pakistan who have fought two wars over the territory.