"The Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked ceasefire violation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir… Our troops are responding appropriately and no casualties or damage to our troops was reported till the report last came in," Defense Ministry’s spokesman Lt. Col. Manish Mehta said, as quoted by the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.
He also said that the Pakistani army used heavy mortars, small arms and automatic weapons.
Relations between India and Pakistan have been strained since 1947 when both states were founded. British India, according to the Indian Independence Act, was divided into two parts on the religious basis – India and Pakistan. However, the act left space for local leaders to choose whether they want to join India or Pakistan, which resulted in the decision of the Hindu ruler of Kashmir, mainly populated by Muslims, to join India. The dispute over Kasmir resulted in several full-fledged wars, as well as a number of local military conflicts between India and Pakistan.
In July, relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated again amid a new surge of clashes in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir with protesters demanding more autonomy or even independence for the region. In late July, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made a statement claiming that Kashmir would one day join Pakistan, which was strongly condemned by New Delhi.
