India and Pakistan trade warnings over heavy

Kashmir fighting
1 OF 4. A villager holds a pot with metal propellers of mortars, that locals say was fired from the Indian side of the Pakistani border town
of Dhamala Hakimwala, near Sialkot October , !"#$%
3 OF 4. A Pakistani villager, who was in&'red d'ring the recent e(change of fire between Pakistan and India, lies on a hospital bed at a
military hospital in Sialkot October , !"#$%
BY SANJEEV MIGLANI AND ABU ARQAM NAQASH-
Thu Oct 9, 2014
)*e'ters+ , Pakistan said on -h'rsday it was capable of responding .befittingly. to
Indian border shelling, and warned against an escalation of the worst fighting between
the n'clear,armed rivals in more than a decade%
/ine Pakistani and eight Indian civilians have been killed since both sides0 sec'rity
forces started heavy shelling more than a week ago along a !"",km )#!1,mile+ stretch
of border in the disp'ted, mostly 2'slim region of Kashmir%
2ore were in&'red on -h'rsday% 3oth co'ntries acc'sed each other of starting the
latest hostilities that have hit heavily pop'lated civilian areas% India says it will not talk
to Pakistan or stop firing 'ntil its neighbo'r backs down first%
.4e do not want the sit'ation on the borders of two n'clear neighbo'rs to escalate
into confrontation,. the Pakistan 2inistry of Defence said in a statement% .India m'st
demonstrate ca'tion and behave with responsibility%.
Since they split 56 years ago, the nations have fo'ght each other in three wars, two
over Kashmir% -here has not been a f'll,blown war since they both tested n'clear
weapons in #77%
8(changes of sporadic fire are common along the de facto border dividing the region,
despite a ceasefire pact signed in !""9% 3't the e(tent and intensity of the latest
violence and the n'mber of civilian deaths is 'n's'al%
India earlier warned Pakistan it wo'ld pay an .'naffordable price. if it persisted with
shelling and machine,g'n fire across a heavily pop'lated border area in the lowlands
of Kashmir%
3oth claim all of Kashmir0s Himalayan mo'ntains and fertile valleys% -heir shared
border is among the most heavily militari:ed in the world and travel between the two
nations is kept to a minim'm%
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Defence 2inister Ar'n @aitley called Pakistan an .aggressor. and acc'sed it of making
'nprovoked attacks on Indian,controlled Kashmir% He threatened heavy retaliation%
.If Pakistan persists with this advent'rism then o'r forces will contin'e to fight,.
@aitley told a news conference in /ew Delhi% .-he cost of this advent'rism will be
'naffordable%. He did not give more details%
Pakistan0s 2a&or ;eneral Khan -ahir @aved Khan, responsible for the section of the
border where the violence has broken o't, said that India had fired !",""" shells so
far this year, compared to &'st !"" in !"#!%
He also said he had been trying to meet his Indian co'nterpart since the e(changes of
fire began, b't they wo'ld not ret'rn his calls%
Since late on 4ednesday, #9 people incl'ding three Indian border sec'rity g'ards were
in&'red in firing from Pakistan, a senior Indian police official in Kashmir said%
-his is the first ma&or fighting with Pakistan that India0s nationalist Prime 2inister
/arendra 2odi has dealt with since taking office in 2ay% It comes after weeks of
destabilising anti,government protests in Pakistan and &'st a few days ahead of Indian
state elections, for which 2odi has been campaigning%
.I don0t need to speak, o'r g'ns will do it% 4e have responded with co'rage to
ceasefire violations,. 2odi said at a campaign rally on -h'rsday, replying to
opposition criticism that he had not been vocal d'ring the crisis%
One senior Indian army officer in Kashmir said the violence s'ited both sides, with
Pakistan0s army taking a more assertive role in politics and India0s 2odi, ahead of state
polls, f'lfilling his promise of a more m'sc'lar foreign policy%
-he officer declined to be named beca'se he was not a'thori:ed to speak to the media%
.People know my intentions very well% I don0t have to spell it o't,. said 2odi% .4e have
displayed o'r strength very well%.
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@aitley appeared to r'le o't initiating talks to end heavy mortar fire falling on border
posts and villages that have flo'rished on both sides in recent years thanks to the long
l'll in fighting%
.How can we have talks when firing is onB. he said%
Since the fighting broke o't fo'r days ago there has only been one telephone call
between the two militaries% -he 's'al way to stop clashes is to call a meeting of senior
officials at the border, b't no s'ch meeting has been held this time%
-here was intermittent fire on -h'rsday%
India has for years acc'sed 2'slim Pakistan of backing separatist 2'slim rebels in
India0s part of Kashmir% Pakistan denies arming the militants saying it only gives them
diplomatic s'pport in the face of h'man rights ab'ses by Indian forces%
Almost !",""" Indian civilians have fled their homes in the lowlands aro'nd India0s
@amm' region to escape the fighting, taking ref'ge in schools and relief camps%
.4hen will this stopB. said *am Aal, 51, in Arnia, the village worst affected by shelling
on the Indian side% Aal0s wife had a bandaged arm after s'staining a small in&'ry when
two shells landed early on -h'rsday%
.4e sho'ld have it o't once and for all% 4hat0s the 'se of dying each day like thisB
Have a f'll,scale war and be done with it,. Aal said, s'rveying walls pock,marked by
shrapnel on his two,storey ho'se% A nearby car had its windows shattered%
On the Pakistan side of the border, villagers moved among piles of debris from walls
and roofs of their homes destroyed by mortar shells%
.-he way Indian troops are indiscriminately shelling the civilian pop'lations on o'r
side, I am afraid there will be many more cas'alties,. said <ha'dhry Aatif Akbar, a
local Pakistani official in Kashmir%
India held a meeting on 4ednesday of its top sec'rity officials to disc'ss how to
handle the conflict% Pakistani Prime 2inister /awa: Sharif has called a similar
meeting on =riday%
)4riting by =rank @ack DanielC Additional reporting by *'pam @ain /air, Andrew
2acAskill and Islamabad b'rea'C 8diting by *obert 3irsel and 2ike <ollett,4hite+
Posted by -havam