Nine civilians were killed while 37 more were reportedly injured during a clash between Pakistan and India along the Kashmir Border on Monday despite the cease-fire agreement between the two countries.

Officials from both Pakistan and India have confirmed the death and said the Border Security Force (BSF) of India clashed with the Pakistan Rangers.

Like Us on Facebook

Five Indian civilians died and another 34 were injured, while Pakistan reported four civilian casualties and three wounded civilians.

The international border dispute has been divided the two countries since Pakistan seceded from India.

According to Shantamanu, a senior official at the Kashmir border, the Pakistan Rangers started firing shots at the Arnia sector where the BSF was located. The Arnia sector is 45 kilometers away from Jammu City, the capital of Kashmir.

The injured civilians in India were immediately admitted at the Government Medical College (GMC) hospital located in Jammu and Shantamanu said most of the victims were in critical condition.

All India Radio, Inadia's national broadcasting station, said the attack on Monday was the first to target Arnia. Indian officials accused Pakistani troops of violating the cease-fire agreement.

The officials also accused the Pakistan Rangers of provoking the BSF that forced it to respond.

However, Pakistani officials believe otherwise. Radio Pakistan, the country's official broadcaster said it was their Indian counterpart that first fired, which resulted in Pakistani retaliation.

The Indian Home Minister, Rajnath Singh, released a statement after the clash, saying that Pakistan should stop violating the cease-fire agreement. He added that India changed as a country and Pakistan should accept those changes as reality.

The conflict between the two countries has alsu resulted in damaged civilian homes and the latest attacked forced residents to leave for safety.

India's Shantamanu said in a statement that Pakitan's shelling of the area is the last thing on their mind. Since the clash occurred, he said India's military is more focused on protecting civilians and relocating them in more secure areas away from the border.

In 2003, India and Pakistan signed a cease-fire agreement and the current conflict is the 11th violation recorded.

TagsPakistan, border dispute, Political geography, Indo-Pakistani Relations