Srinagar, India, Sep 11 (EFE).- At least one Indian soldier was wounded on Wednesday in a ceasefire violation between India and Pakistan on the border of the disputed Kashmir region, for which New Delhi blamed Islamabad.
A Border Security Force (BSF) officer stationed in Jammu confirmed the incident to EFE, stating that it appeared to be an attempt by Pakistan to disrupt the upcoming assembly elections in Kashmir.
“Our troops are already on high alert and prepared to counter any Pakistani actions,” the officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity he was not allowed to talk to the media.
The officer accused Pakistani forces of opening fire in the early hours of the morning and wounding an Indian border guard in the Akhnoor sector, adding that the Indian military returned fire.
The two nuclear powers reached a ceasefire agreement in 2003, although exchanges of fire at the border intensified following the arrival of the current Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in 2014.
However, such incidents have dropped considerably since New Delhi and Islamabad re-ratified the agreement in February 2021.
While there were no fatalities in border incidents in 2022, an Indian border guard died in November 2023 after a ceasefire violation. The two countries often accuse one another of violating the ceasefire.
Pakistan and India have been disputing the sovereignty of the region since the partition of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, following British decolonization, and have fought three wars and other smaller clashes over it.
India also accuses its neighbor of sponsoring the insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir, plunging the region into a separatist armed revolt since 1989.
The current ceasefire violation comes a week before the start of three-phased regional elections in Indian Kashmir, to be held between Sep.18 and Oct.1 October. EFE
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