KARACHI, Pakistan

Pakistan on Monday accused Indian border guards of resorting to "unprovoked" firing along Kashmir border, which killed a woman, and injured a child.

"Indian Army troops initiated unprovoked CFVs (ceasefire violations) along the LOC (Line of Control) deliberately targeting civilian population this morning," said a statement from Pakistan Army.

"A woman embraced shahadat (martyrdom) while an 8 years old girl sustained injuries," the statement added.

Anadolu Agency tried to reach the Indian Army for comments, but didn’t get a response.

The two border forces have been engaged in border clashes in recent weeks despite a surging coronavirus outbreak in both nuclear-armed countries.

India and Pakistan both hold Kashmir in parts and claim it in full. China also controls part of the contested region, but it is India and Pakistan who have fought two wars over Kashmir.

Long-fraught relations between the two South Asian nuclear rivals have further flared up after India scrapped the special provisions of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. The region has been under a near-complete lockdown since August last.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or for unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.

* Cheena Kapoor from New Delhi contributed to this story