Image Credits - AP News
Officials reported on Thursday (Nov 10) that violent clashes erupted between Indian and Pakistani forces along the heavily fortified border in disputed Kashmir, resulting in the death of an Indian border guard
The incident occurred in the Southern Jammu region, with Indian authorities asserting that Pakistani soldiers initiated the attack with mortar fire and machine guns on Wednesday night, describing it as an “unprovoked” act. In response, India’s Border Security Force stated that its personnel reacted appropriately, leading to the unfortunate casualty of one of its border guards. There was no immediate response from Pakistan.
Both sides frequently accuse each other of initiating border clashes in the Himalayan region, which is claimed in its entirety by each. In the previous month, clashes along the India-Pakistan border resulted in injuries to two Indian border guards and three civilians.
India and Pakistan have a longstanding history of strained relations over Kashmir, a region they both assert in full. Two of their three wars since 1947 have been fought over conflicting claims to the area. In the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, militants have conflicted with Indian rule since 1989. Despite periodic combats, the two nations agreed to a ceasefire in 2003 that has mostly held along their disputed frontier, which includes a 740-kilometer rugged and mountainous stretch known as the Line of Control, guarded by their respective armies.
Both countries maintain distinct paramilitary border forces overseeing their relatively established 200-kilometer (125-mile) lower-altitude boundary, which demarcates Indian-controlled Kashmir and the Pakistani province of Punjab.
In 2021, the two countries reconfirmed their adherence to the 2003 cease-fire agreement after a period of intense almost daily clashes, resulting in numerous casualties on both sides in the Kashmir region.