Pakistan Army on Monday claimed killing an Indian soldier and injuring three others in retaliation to "unprovoked" firing by India along the Line of Control (LoC) in which ten civilians were injured.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the mouthpiece of Pakistan Army, said the injured Indian soldiers included a major.

It said that the enemy troops fired across the LoC into Jandrot and Nikial sectors of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) during the last 24 hours.

The Indian forces used mortars and heavy weapons and deliberately targeted the civilian population in Jabbar, Sandhara, Sumbal Gali and Dabsi villages of Kotli district, the statement added.

The unprovoked firing seriously injured ten civilians, including women and children, it said. They were evacuated to a nearby medical facility, the ISPR added.

Giving a befitting response, Pakistani troops caused a "substantial damage” to the Indian posts which initiated the fire, the press release added.

Indian envoy summoned

Earlier on Monday, Foreign Office summoned Indian Charge d’Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia to register Pakistan’s strong protest over the ceasefire violations by Indian forces.

"The indiscriminate and unprovoked firing" by the Indian army caused serious injuries to several civilians in Kotli area, said an FO press release.

The names of the victims were Muhammad Shabbir, Jamila Bibi, Muhammad Amin, Muhammad Yasin and Muhammad Safin in Jabbar village; Muhammad Haleem, Muhammad Zeeshan and Muhammad Junaid in Sandhara village; Zubaida Bibi in Sumbal Gali village; and Zaheer in Dabsi village.

FO Director General (South Asia & Saarc) Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri condemned the targeting of civilians and underscored that "such senseless Indian acts were in clear violation of the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding.

He also said that the violations were “complete disregard for international human rights and international norms, further vitiate the tense atmosphere along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security".