SPY EYES

Indian troops shot dead a Pakistani soldier who had strayed onto their side of the de facto border in the disputed Kashmir region, officials from both countries said Friday.

“We detected some suspicious movement yesterday near the LoC (Line of Control) inside our territory and the challengers from our side fired and in the ensuing firefight he was killed,” Lieutenant Colonel Rajesh Kalia, a spokesman for the Indian army’s northern command, toldAFP.

An AK-47 rifle was found alongside the body of the soldier, the spokesman added.

A Pakistani security official said contact was being made with the Indian authorities for the return of the body of the soldier, identified only as Ikhlaq.

The soldier had been killed on Thursday night after he “inadvertently crossed the Line of Control in Khoi Ratta sector”, the Pakistani official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Tensions between India and Pakistan were heightened last month after a series of cross-border exchanges in the disputed Kashmir region. Two Pakistani soldiers were killed on January 6, before India claimed on January 8 that one of its soldiers was beheaded in an alleged attack by Pakistani troops.

Firing and small skirmishes are common along the 740km LoC despite a ceasefire that was agreed in 2003. The Indian army says eight of its soldiers were killed in 2012, in 75 incidents of ceasefire violations.