India and Pakistan traded bitter accusations Wednesday, Jan 9 after New Delhi said Pakistani troops had killed two of its soldiers in the disputed territory of Kashmir, a flash point between the two nations since their creation, CNN reports.
Indian Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai summoned the Pakistani High Commissioner and "lodged a strong protest" about what India alleges took place Tuesday, increasing the strain on ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
But Pakistan reiterated its denial of the accusations, saying India was trying to distract attention from a weekend clash in the Himalayan territory that left a Pakistani soldier dead.
India asserts that Pakistani troops took advantage of thick fog in a wooded area on Tuesday to cross over to its side of the Line of Control, the de facto border between the two nations in Kashmir.
The Indian military says one of its routine patrols spotted the Pakistani troops in the Mendhar sector of Poonch district, and a firefight lasting about 30 minutes ensued, during which two Indian soldiers were killed.
The Indian government on Wednesday accused Pakistani troops of subjecting the two soldiers' bodies to "barbaric and inhuman mutilation," calling the alleged actions "highly provocative."
