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1st LD: Indian firing kills three Pakistanis: report

Xinhua, August 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

At least three Pakistani civilians were killed and several injured in the latest Indian firing on Friday, local media reported.

Indian forces opened "unprovoked fire" along the Working Boundary in Sajeet Garh, Charwa, Chirar and Harpal sectors in eastern Punjab province, TV channels quoted local officials and residents as saying.

A child and woman were among those killed. Residents were quoted as saying Indian troops fired mortars into the Pakistani border villages.

Pakistani border forces also responded to the Indian shelling.

Meanwhile, Indian officials claimed Pakistani troops "started unprovoked firing and shelling" on Indian positions. Indian border guards retaliated to Pakistani firing, according to Indian media reports.

The early morning shelling forced many people living near the border to flee to safe area.

The injured were shifted to Combined Military Hospital in Sialkot, the main city near the border with India.

The latest cross-border shelling has taken place ahead of a meeting of the Pakistan and Indian border officials in New Delhi.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Qazi Khalilullah said on Thursday a meeting between director general of Pakistan Rangers and his Indian counterpart will take place in New Delhi next month. Rangers, a paramilitary force, perform duties along the borders with India in Punjab and eastern Sindh province.

The spokesman told his weekly briefing that the officials will discuss ceasefire violations at the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir and the Working Boundary.

Pakistan called off talks with India this week over what it called "pre-conditions" by India.

Pakistan and India accuse each other of the 2003 ceasefire violations. Guns had been relatively silent since the ceasefire; however, both sides occasionally exchange fires. An escalation has been seen in recent weeks that mostly caused civilian casualties.

Both routinely accuse each other of ceasefire violations.

Pakistan says there have been over 70 ceasefire violations from the Indian side of the LoC and the Working Boundary during this month. Endi