Authorities also suspended mobile internet and train services in the Kashmir valley to prevent a large gathering of protestors. This has been the deadliest year in a decade in Kashmir, with more than 550 people including 150 civilians killed, according to a monitoring group. Saturday's clash came a day after two Indian soldiers were killed by alleged sniper fire from the Pakistani side of the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides the disputed region. Decades of fighting between rebel groups and the half million Indian soldiers deployed in the New Delhi-controlled part of the territory has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians. New Delhi accuses Pakistan of arming and training rebels fighting Indian forces, an allegation Islamabad denies, saying it only provides diplomatic and political support.

Source: The Nation Bangkok December 22, 2018 08:15 UTC