No shot fired from Pakistani side on LoC, says Foreign Office

Clarification comes hour after Indian media reported exchange of fire between troops of both countries in Kashmir

SRINAGAR: An hour after the Indian media claimed troops of its country had exchanged fire with Pakistani soldiers alongside the disputed border in Kashmir, Foreign Office spokesperson denied the reports, saying no shot had been fired by Pakistan.

“There seems to be some activity across the border but there has been no activity from our side, not one shot fired from here," Nafees Zakaria told Reuters.

Meanwhile, a senior Army official in Azad Kashmir’s capital of Muzaffarabad said there was no firing along the Line of Control, the de facto border where thousands of Indian and Pakistani troops face off against each other. Both sides were on high alert and strengthening their positions, he added.

Earlier, Indian army spokesperson Colonel Rajesh Kalia had said there had been a "ceasefire violation" near Uri, where Sunday's attack took place, but gave no further details. Uri is near the Line of Control (LoC) which divides the disputed territory.



Eighteen soldiers died in Sunday's attack, which was the worst of its kind to hit the divided Himalayan region in more than a decade and has increased hostility between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

"Small arms exchange of fire is on in the area," a senior police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Occasional violations of a 2003 ceasefire between the nuclear-armed rivals are not uncommon. The last was reported on September 6 this year and caused no casualties.

Several rebel groups have fought an estimated 500,000 Indian forces deployed in the territory, demanding independence for the Muslim-majority region or its merger with Pakistan.

Tens of thousands of people have died in the fighting, most of them civilians.