Pakistan accuses India of killing soldier in Kashmir border raid

ISLAMABAD // A Pakistani soldier was killed and another wounded when Indian troops stormed a military post on the two countries' de facto border in Kashmir, the Pakistan military said today.

It said an exchange of fire was continuing after the Indian incursion across the Line of Control marking the frontier in the Haji Pir sector, 80 kilometres north of Islamabad.

Indian troops had crossed the line and "physically raided a check post named Sawan Patra", Pakistan's military said in a statement.

"Pakistan Army troops effectively responded to the attack successfully. One Pakistani soldier embraced martyrdom while another was critically injured," it said.

The Indian troops retreated, leaving behind a gun and a dagger, and an exchange of fire was continuing, the military said.

Kashmir is a Himalayan region which India and Pakistan both claim in full but rule in part. It was the cause of two of their three wars since independence from Britain in 1947.

India suspended its peace process with Pakistan after deadly attacks by Pakistan-based militants in 2008 in Mumbai. Talks only resumed in February last year.

Both sides remain deadlocked over Kashmir but have made some progress on less contentious subjects such as trade.

The nuclear-armed neighbours have observed a ceasefire in Kashmir since November 2003 but there have been occasional small-time clashes and accusations of violations from both sides.

Kashmir has been racked by militancy since 1989 when an insurgency against Indian rule erupted. Around 47,000 people have died, though militant violence has decreased in recent years.