1st LD Writethru: Indian firing kills two Pakistani civilians including a baby: Pakistan army

Pakistan army said Monday that two civilians, including a baby, have been killed and seven civilians injured in the overnight India firing along the Working Boundary in Punjab province.

The latest incident happened as escalation along the Line of Control (LoC), which divides the nuclear neighbors in the disputed Kashmir, has been seen since the militants attack on an army center in the Indian-controlled Kashmir on Sept. 18, killing 19 soldiers.

The Indian military blamed the Pakistan-based "Jaish-e-Mohammad" group and also pointed fingers at Pakistan. Islamabad rejected the charges and suggested independent investigation.

"Due to Indian unprovoked firing at the Working Boundary last night a civilian Muhammad Latif of village Janglora and a minor Haniya age one-and-a-half embraced Shahadat (martyrdom) while 7 civilians were injured," the army said.

"Indian resorted to unprovoked firing and shelling which was befittingly responded to by Pakistan Rangers (paramilitary) Punjab in Harpal, Pukhlian and Charwah sectors on working boundary," a statement from the army's Inter-Services Public Relations said.

The statement said that intermittent exchange of firing continued throughout the night. The injured civilians have been evacuated to a military hospital in Sialkot, a main city near the border.

Pakistan and India had declared ceasefire in 2003 that had silenced the guns. However, firing exchanges do take place from time to time and the cross-LoC firing and shelling has increased in recent days. Endit