NEW DELHI, July 28: A group of Pakistani troops crossed into occupied Kashmir on Monday and shot dead an Indian soldier, sparking a gunbattle, an army spokesman in New Delhi claimed.

“Between 10 and 12 Pakistani soldiers crossed the Line of Control and entered the Kupwara sector (in Indian Kashmir), and after a verbal duel they shot dead a soldier,” Indian army spokesman Anil Kumar Mathur told AFP.

He said the killing triggered an exchange of fire, which was continuing into the evening. Military sources, however, said both sides were only using small arms and that they did not see the confrontation high in the Himalayas escalating.

According to the spokesman, the soldiers crossed 200 metres into Indian territory to “object to the setting up of a post by Indian army soldiers.” The infiltration took place at 3:00 pm (0930 GMT) in a mountainous area 90 kilometres north of Srinagar, an Indian army statement said.

“After that our troops also retaliated and the Pakistani troops ran back.

We don’t know yet whether Pakistani troops suffered any casualties. The exchange of fire is continuing in the area,” the army statement added.

In Islamabad, the Pakistani army’s spokesman said he had no information on the clash.

“I don’t have any information about this incident right now,” Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.