Pakistan army says two civilians killed by Indian forces

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's army claimed on Saturday that two civilians were killed by Indian forces in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, the first such conflict since a ceasefire in 2021 between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours.

A group of shepherds in Sattwal sector at the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between the two countries, were hit, the army said in a statement, warning it reserves a right to strike back.

"The Indian Army, in a display of its usual inhumane approach towards innocent Kashmiris, opened indiscriminate fire onto a group of shepherds in Sattwal Sector," the statement said.

The Indian army did not respond to a request for comment.

In 2021, the two sides agreed in a rare joint statement to a ceasefire along the disputed border in the scenic valley.

Both India and Pakistan lay claim over the disputed territory, but each control half of it. The two countries have fought three wars, two over Kashmir, since their independence from British rule in 1947.

The two armies in 2019 almost came to the brink of war, scrambling jets and shooting down a warplane after Indian planes intruded Pakistan airspace in what New Delhi said was to target a militant training camp.

Condemning the killings and ceasefire violation, the Pakistani foreign office summoned the Indian envoy to register a protest, the statement said.

(Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Diane Craft)