New Delhi (Sputnik): After a week of continuous weapons testing by nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan, both sides targeted military posts with machine guns and mortars in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district along the Line of Control on Tuesday evening.
The Indian military blamed Pakistan for the ceasefire violations "at about 1600 hours local time", when unprovoked firing of small arms followed by shelling began. "The firing is underway in Rajouri district's Nowshera sector," a military spokesperson said in the evening.
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The troops also fired a few rounds of bullets across the India-Pakistan international border (IB) in the Hiranagar sector of Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district as well.
Recent tensions between the two nations over Kashmir dangerously moved closer to a full-fledged war in mid-February when the Indian Air Force conducted "non-military" air strikes against terrorist infrastructures in Balakot on 26 February. Pakistan retaliated and downed at least one Indian fighter, while allegedly losing one F-16 — a claim Islamabad denies.
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The Kashmir dispute dates back to 1947, when shortly after India and Pakistan gained independence from British colonial rule, Pakistani forces along with local militiamen attacked the Kashmir valley region ruled by Maharaja Hari Singh, who, after initially resisting acceded to India, much to Islamabad's dismay. Since then, the two nuclear-armed nations have fought three wars in 1965, 1971 and 1999.