Pakistan said Sunday that India had fired chemical shells into the disputed region of Kashmir, as fighting intensified following unsuccessful talks to resolve the conflict.
The Pakistan military released a statement saying the Indian army had carried out heavy shelling "deep inside Pakistan territory" Saturday and Sunday, including the use of chemical shells.
An Indian army spokesman in New Delhi denied Pakistan's report. "We have not used any chemical weapon or shell. The report from Pakistan is baseless," the spokesman said.
Indian troops captured a key mountain peak in Kashmir on Sunday after artillery pounded it for nearly 10 hours.
That capture and what officers said was the anticipated seizure of a nearby peak would help secure a vulnerable stretch of Indian highway that has been under constant bombardment from artillery units inside of Pakistan.
Talks Saturday in New Delhi between the two countries' foreign ministers left both sides trading accusations about who was to blame for the latest fighting.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz said afterward he believed there would be additional talks soon and that he did not believe the conflict would escalate.
"We want to defuse the situation, de-escalate the crisis and pave the way toward a political solution of the larger issue which is essential to peace and security in the region - the core dispute of Kashmir," Aziz said after here turned to Islamabad.
Source: Flight Daily News