Pakistani soldier killed by Indian gunfire

— Indian troops fired across the disputed Kashmir border and killed a Pakistani soldier Thursday, Pakistan’s military said, in the third deadly incident in the disputed Himalayan region in recent days.

Pakistan said the shooting was unprovoked, while the Indian military said its troops responded to fire from soldiers across the frontier.

The tit-for-tat fighting threatens to reverse recent progress Pakistan and India have made in improving their historically antagonistic relationship. The two countries have fought three major wars since they achieved independence from British India in 1947, two of them over Kashmir.

The relationship reached a recent low point in 2008 when Pakistani gunmen killed 166 people in the Indian city of Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay. It has improved significantly since then, and the two countries have taken steps to improve cross-border trade and ease travel restrictions. But key issues, including Kashmir, remain unresolved.

The mountainous region is divided between the two countries, but both claim the area in its entirety. A cease-fire over Kashmir has largely held for about a decade, despite periodic firing across the disputed border that sometimes causes casualties.

Upcoming Events