Clashes erupt between India and Pakistan along disputed border

An Indian woman shows part of her roof allegedly damaged by shelling from the Pakistani side of the disputed Kashmir border in the Indian village of Abdullian, Aug. 28, 2015. According to reports, three villagers were killed, and 16 wounded in fire from the Pakistani side of the international border in the R.S. Pura and Arnia sectors of Jammu district. EPA/JAIPAL SINGH (Jaipal Singh/EPA)

By Tim Craig-August 28

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Clashes erupted between Indian and Pakistani security forces Friday, killing at least 11 civilians and wounding scores more on both sides of the contested border, according to officials in both countries.

The exchange of fire came as Indian and Pakistani leaders continued to bicker over the prospect of face-to-face talks.

Indian and Pakistani security forces traded small-arms, artillery and mortar fire, which damaged several villages on both sides of the border, officials said. The violence coincided with the kickoff of India’s golden jubilee celebration marking the 1965 war between India and Pakistan, one of three major conflicts since 1947 between the neighbors, who now have nuclear arms.

“As we mark the 50th anniversary of the 1965 war, I bow to all brave soldiers who fought for our motherland in the war,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.

On Friday, India and Pakistan accused each other of starting the latest confrontation.

An Indian boy looks outside a window damaged in alleged firing from Pakistan into a residential area at Sai village, in Ranbir Singh Pura near the India-Pakistan international border, on Aug. 28, 2015. Indian and Pakistani border guards traded gunfire in the divided region of Kashmir, striking homes in villages near the disputed border region after midnight. (AP Photo/Channi Anand) (Channi Anand/AP)

According to Pakistan’s military, the fighting started with the “unprovoked Indian shelling” of several Pakistani villages near Sialkot in eastern Punjab province. The shelling killed eight Pakistanis and wounded 47 others, including 24 women and 11 children, Pakistani officials said.

“Pakistani troops are befittingly responding,” a Pakistani statement said.

India’s military, however, said the fighting started when Pakistani forces began firing into India’s disputed Kashmir region.

At least three Indian civilians were killed and 18 others wounded, according to a district official in the Indian town of Ranbir Singh Pura. The Pakistani assault involved small arms and mortars, prompting a response from Indian border guards, Indian officials said.

“I can only say that our security forces are alert,” India’s defense minister, Manohar Parrikar, said in an interview. “They are taking action.”

In response to the violence, Pakistan’s powerful army chief, Gen. Raheel Sharif, rushed to Sialkot on Friday afternoon to meet with victims and Pakistani border guards. His spokesman, Maj. Gen Asim Bajwa, accused India of crossing “all limits to terrorize civilians.”

“Indian firing and violation targeting [civilians] is highly unprofessional, unethical, irresponsible & cowardly,” Bajwa said on Twitter.

Pakistani villagers attend a funeral of a man reportedly killed by Indian shelling at a border town of Kanganpur near Sialkot, Pakistan, Friday, Aug. 28, 2015. Indian and Pakistani border guards traded gunfire in the divided region of Kashmir, leaving several civilians dead and others wounded, authorities said Friday. (AP Photo/Shahid Ikram) (Shahid Ikram/AP)

Pakistani officials said the clashes began about midnight and continued for about 12 hours.

If tensions persist, several Pakistani politicians and commentators said Friday that the two countries could be headed for a “limited war.”

“It’s dangerous brinkmanship and could lead to wider conflict,” said Saad Muhammad, a retired Pakistani army brigadier general and Islamabad-based military analyst. “They need to keep in mind that any major escalation would have disastrous consequences.”

With Pakistan restricting journalists’ access to the border region, it was difficult for independent observers to assess claims about civilian casualties. Though flare-ups along the border are common, it has been more than a year since Pakistan has claimed so many civilian casualties along the border in a single day.

“It’s a large number, and it’s because there is heavy firing by Indian troops,” said one Pakistani security official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

A cease-fire between Indian and Pakistani security forces has nominally been in effect since 2003. But over the past two years, flare-ups along the border have become more frequent.

Last August, five Indian and four Pakistani civilians were killed during a similar clash along the border. And nine civilians were killed earlier this month when fighting broke out in the same area, the Associated Press reported.

India’s External Affairs Ministry lodged a formal protest with Pakistan’s high commissioner in New Delhi last week, blaming Pakistani forces for the deaths of six civilians. Pakistan’s Foreign Office also summoned the Indian high commissioner in Islamabad, angered by what officials say has been a total of 22 civilian deaths along the Pakistani side of the border this summer.

Last week, planned talks between the country’s national security advisers were canceled after a flurry of media statements and news conferences by both countries. Pakistan ultimately backed out of the talks after India demanded that they stay focused on terrorism and not involve third parties, including Kashmiri separatists.

Planned talks last summer also failed to materialize, but Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif did meet briefly in July on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Russia.