Indian, Pakistani Servicemen Shell Each Other's Positions in Kashmir - Military

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - The Pakistani soldiers shelled on Tuesday morning India's positions in the disputed state of Jammu and Kashmir, Lt. Col. Devender Anand, the spokesman for the Indian Defence Ministry, said, adding that the country's forces had retaliated.

"At 10 a.m. [16:00 GMT], the Pakistan Army initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation using small arms and shelling with heavy calibre weapons in the Sunderbani sector. The Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively", Anand told reporters, specifying that the exchange of fire was still ongoing near the border zone.

Both India and Pakistan, along with China, have been contesting Kashmir since 1947. The state is currently divided between the three sides, with the so-called line of control serving as a de-facto border between the Indian and the Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir.

Following several armed conflicts, India and Pakistan signed a ceasefire agreement in 2003. However, since then, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce.

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New Delhi has repeatedly accused Pakistani authorities of supporting insurgents demanding the region's secession from India, with Islamabad refuting all allegations.