2013 India – Pakistan border skirmishes The 2013 India – Pakistan border incidents are a series of ongoing armed skirmishes along the Line of Control ( LoC ) in the disputed Kashmir area . Starting from the mid - January 2013 , they have been described as the " worst bout of fighting in the region in nearly 10 years " . It began on 6 January 2013 , when according to Pakistani reports Indian forces attacked a Pakistani border post , killing one soldier . Indian authorities described the incident as a retaliation against preceding Pakistani ceasefire violations , but denied having crossed the demarcation line . In a second skirmish on 8 January , Indian authorities said that Pakistani forces crossed the LoC , killing two Indian soldiers . The incident sparked outrage in India and harsh reactions by the Indian army and government over the news that the body of one of the soldiers had been beheaded . Pakistan denied these reports . On 15 January , a third skirmish reportedly led to the death of another Pakistani soldier . After talks between Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia and Major General Ashfaq Nadeem , an understanding was reached to de - escalate the situation . But the skirmishes continued despite peace efforts by the countries resulting in 8 Indian casualties in total and 9 Pakistani casualties till August . Civilians were also affected adversely by the border skirmishes . Incidents . In January . The incident happened between Chhatri and Atma outposts on the LoC in Mankote area of Krishna Ghati , Jammu and Kashmir , at 10 : 30 am on January 8 , 2013 . According to the Indian Army , a Pakistan Army " Border Action Team " , wearing black combat uniforms , crossed over the LoC and ambushed an Indian Army patrol team 600 metres inside Indian - controlled territory . They reported that the Pakistani soldiers took advantage of the foliage and dense fog and opened fire on an area - domination unit of Sector 10 , killing two soldiers of 13 Rajputana Rifles and injuring two others . The Sector - 10 headquarters in Mendhar area of Poonch district was operating under the Rajouri - based 25th Division . According to the Indian Army , the skirmish lasted for approximately 30 minutes , after which the intruders retreated from the Indian territory . Two soldiers , Lance Naik Hemraj and Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh , were killed and their bodies were apparently found mutilated , with one decapitated . The bodies were then recovered and the injured soldiers were airlifted and admitted to the Indian Army ' s Command Hospital . In February . Another incident occurred when on 15 February , a Pakistani soldier was killed in a firefight with Indian troops when he accidentally crossed over the line of control , injuring two Indian soldiers . In June . On 7 June 2013 , a Junior Commissioned Officer ( JCO ) of Indian Army was killed in cross - border firing with Pakistani troops in Sabjian area of Mandi sector along the Line of Control ( LoC ) in Poonch district . The deceased was identified as JCO Naib Subedar Bachan Singh 3 Garhwal Rifles . In July . In a press - release , the Inter - Services Public Relations ( ISPR ) said that a Pakistan Army soldier was killed and another was seriously injured in July firing by Indian troops from across the Line of Control ( LoC ) in the disputed region of Kashmir . The incident took place on Rawlakot ’ s Nezapir sector near the LoC at about 10 : 30 am on Saturday , 27 July 2013 . Pakistan ' s soldier Asim Iqbal , a resident of a village near Rawalpindi , was killed in the firing and soldier Naik Mohammad Khan was critically wounded . On the night of 30 July 2013 , Indian troops operating on the Line of Control kidnapped four Pakistani Kashmiri men . The men , identified as Zafran Ghulam Sarwar , Shah Zaman , Muhammad Faisal and Wajid Akbar , were killed near the Katwar post according to Indian police documentation . India claimed the men were intruders . This was disputed by Pakistan , according to whom the men were local civilians plucking herbs and had strayed close to the Line of Control when they were abducted by the Indians . Locals and an Indian police official noted that it would be " unusual for an infiltrating group of four terrorists to possess only one assault rifle , and no grenades or communication equipment " and that at least two of the men were wearing rubber flip - flops . These killings are believed to have sparked off the border skirmishes in early August . In August . On 5 August 2013 , some exchanges were reported on the LoC during which Indian Border Security Force head constable Ram Niwas Meena was injured in sniper firing in the Samba district . Meena later succumbed to his injuries on 11 August . On 6 August 2013 , five Indian army soldiers were killed in firing by Pakistani Special Forces at the Line of Control ( LoC ) as they slept in a temporary shelter . Pakistan was accused by Indian Army over the incident , with Pakistan ' s ambush over an army patrol in the Poonch area in Jammu and Kashmir region which lead to protests at the Pakistan Embassy in New Delhi . Pakistan Army denied the charges . The Pakistan High Commission was attacked by Indian mobs in protest to the killings . Hours after the incident , firing continued on the border during which two Pakistani soldiers were wounded . On 8 August 2013 , Indian troops opened fire wounding a Pakistani male civilian along the Line of Control ( LoC ) in Kashmir . The injured Kaka Sana was evacuated to a hospital . On 11 August 2013 there were media reports of sporadic exchanges of fire across the LOC from both sides . It was reported that one Indian border guard had been injured during the incident . On 12 August 2013 , Pakistani sources reported that a civilian was killed as a result of " unprovoked Indian shelling . " A district officer stated that the firing occurred on a Pakistani village about 500 metres from the border . A Pakistani military official said Pakistani troops were responding to the firing . In Islamabad , the Indian Deputy High Commissioner was summoned by the Foreign Office of Pakistan , during which Pakistan called upon India to uphold the ceasefire agreement on the LoC . On 14 August 2013 , a 60 year old Pakistani civilian , Saki Muhammad , was killed by Indian firing and his teenage daughter Nabeela was injured . According to Pakistani military sources , Indian forces were targeting civilian settlements in " unprovoked firing " , adding : " We did respond to the shelling to silence their guns . But we target only military installations across the Line of Control and not the civilian populations . " On 15 August 2013 , mortal shelling from the Indian side injured six Pakistani civilians in Kotli , Azad Kashmir . Simultaneously , three Indian soldiers were injured and a civilian killed by Pakistani firing on the Indian side the same day . On 21 August , a Pakistan Army captain named Sarfaraz was killed and another soldier , Yasin , injured due to Indian cross - firing . According to reports , the Indian army began firing at 11 . 15 pm on 20 August near Skardu , which was followed by retaliation from the Pakistani side . The exchanges continued until 2 am . On 22 August , two Pakistani soldiers , identified as Habib and Gul Wahab , were killed as a result of Indian firing . On 24 August , continued firing from India killed one more Pakistani soldier and injured a woman . The death of the soldier brings the death toll of Pakistani soldiers in August to at least four . On 25 August , a woman died and seven other civilians were injured near Muzaffarabad on the Pakistani side , following cross - border shelling by Indian forces . In September . On 18 September , Continued firing and shelling from Indian sides killed one women and several injured in september . To initiate the peace talk between two rivalry countries due to increase tension on LoC , Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New York . The Prime Mninsters from both countries agreed that they need to stop the recent attacks in the disputed Kashmir region in order for peace talks to advance . In October . Ater peace talk between Prime Ministers in New York , On 5th and 11 October , two children of 14 month and 11 years were killed by continuous Indian Firing towards residential areas of Azad Kashmir , respectively . On 15 October , one Indian troop named Lance Naik Mohd Firoz Khan of Rashtriya Rifles Battalion was killed by Pakistani LoC Firing . On 17 October , a member of the paramilitary was killed " due to continuous unprovoked firing by Indian Border Security forces ” near the eastern city of Pakistan , Sialkot . On 18 October , one more civilian , named sajjad , from Azad Kashmir was killed due to continuous ceasefire violation along LoC by Indian troops . Another incident of ceasefire violation occured on 21 October near Sialkot sector where two more pakistani civilians were killed by continued indian shelling . on 22 October One BSF jawan killed , 4 injured in another ceasefire violation by Pakistan Rangers at RS Pura sector Reactions . India . The reaction in India was overwhelmingly one of anger . Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that this incident had seriously damaged the ongoing peace process and " after this dastardly act , there can ’ t be business as usual with Pakistan . " Bikram Singh , the Chief of Army Staff of India said that " We reserve the right to retaliate at a time of our choosing . " Bikram Singh also said , " The attack on January 8 was premeditated , a pre - planned activity . Such an operation requires planning , detailed reconnaissance . " Indian Leader of Opposition , Sushma Swaraj said that " If Pakistan does not return the severed head of the martyred soldier Hemraj , India should get at least 10 heads from the other side " . She also said that the Indian government had to avenge the death of the two soldiers . Protests took place outside the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi , and the protesters painted " Pakistan Murdabad " ( Death to Pakistan ) on its walls . The Indian Army also released the photos of landmines planted by Pakistan in Indian - controlled land , though Pakistan refused to acknowledge any such act . The Indian Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde alleged on 9 January that the 2008 Mumbai attacks mastermind and Lashkar - e - Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed has visited the Indo - Pakistani border a few days before the Indian soldiers were killed . He cited intelligence obtained by Indian intelligence agencies , and said that they were trying to obtain more details on the visit . However , Saeed rejected the claim , calling it a " blatant lie " and challenged the Indian government to prove the allegation . He said that India was trying to shift focus from its internal problems and was exploiting the sentiments against Pakistan . Pakistan . The Pakistan military information sources , the Inter - Services Public Relations ( ISPR ) , rejected the allegation that the incident was unprovoked , calling the Indian presentation of events as " propaganda " to divert international attention from an earlier incident on January 6 , when a Pakistani soldier was killed by Indian troops in what was claimed by Pakistan as an Indian violation of the Line of Control . Pakistani officials also welcomed an investigation from the UN . The Washington Post quoted an Indian security official admitting that the January 8 incident may have " come in retaliation " for the January 6 incident in which Indian troops had killed the Pakistani soldier . The Foreign Office of Pakistan stated that it had summoned the Deputy Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad during which a protest note was handed on the " unprovoked Indian attack " and the Government of India " was strongly urged to take appropriate measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents in the future . " Earlier in January 2013 , Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar said to the media that she was " unpleasantly surprised " by India ’ s accusations . She further said that " Pakistan ’ s government and its people have demonstrated a deep and abiding commitment to normalize and improve relations with India and to really start a journey of trust - building . " In an interview with " Times Now " , former President and chief of army staff General Pervez Musharraf similarly refuted allegations of any Indian soldier being mutilated by the Pakistani military , pointing out that this was not part of army discipline and culture . He also criticised India ' s tendency of painting " us as rogues when you yourself are not prepared to admit all the cruelty that you inflict on us " and India ' s decision of sending back Pakistani artists and hockey players , adding : " The politicians , media , everyone in India have a tendency to be hysterical about everything . " Responding to the incident to media , senior fleet commander , Vice - Admiral Muhammad Zakaullah quoted that , " Pakistan has ability to answer the disturbance of border . " Addressing the media representatives at the ISPR directorate , Admiral Zakaullah noted to media that " Pakistan forces are prepared for any critical situation . " Answering the question of Indian Army ' s further capabilities , Admiral Zakaullah said that Pakistan was not concerned due to New Delhi ' s ground capability as it had the ability to defend itself from against any aggression . In August , protestors in Muzaffarabad of Azad Kashmir protested against India ' s attacks during which they chanted anti - India and pro - Kashmir slogans . In the aftermath of the August incidents , Pakistan considered withdrawing diplomatic staff from its High Commission in New Delhi and redeploying troops positioned on the Afghan border towards the Line of Control . The Provincial Assembly of Punjab passed a unanimous resolution against India ' s violations of the LoC and expressed concern over the killing of Pakistani soldiers and civilians , in addition to calling on the federal government to raise the issue at international forums . The Parliament of Pakistan adopted a unanimous resolution similarly condemning the incidents and demanded the Pakistan government to take up the issue with India in a " forceful but prudent manner " . Pakistan has also temporarily abandoned talks on the Turkmenistan - Afghanistan – Pakistan – India pipeline with India . Effect on India - Pakistan relations . Due to the tensions building between the two nations and as a sign of protest , the Indian Government on 15 January decided to send back the Pakistani hockey players who were in India to participate in the hockey league . The Indian government has put on hold a plan to issue visas to Pakistani senior citizens on arrival in India . Though the government sources initially mentioned that the agreement was delayed , a senior home ministry official said that the deal was put on hold for some time . After a brief phone conversation between Indian Director General of Military Operations ( DGMO ) Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia and his Pakistani counterpart Major General Ashfaq Nadeem , an Indian spokesman told that the Indian Army has reached an understanding with Pakistan to de - escalate the situation . Pakistan ’ s DGMO conveyed that his troops had been ordered to observe the ceasefire at the LoC strictly and exercise restraint . Media coverage . India . In the backdrop of the border incident , Indian television news anchors questioned the peace process and cultural and sporting ties between India and Pakistan . The Indian government spoke of the " barbaric and inhuman mutilation " of the corpses and denounced the " ghastly " and " dastardly " act . Saikat Datta for the Daily News and Analysis suggested that Indian army units in the Uri sector could have provoked the incident . Pakistan . Ali Ahmed , a freelance journalist who writes for the " Express Tribune " , wrote that media coverage in Pakistan was not very extensive was partially due to focus being diverted to Pakistan ' s upcoming general elections – which was only weeks away – and the fallout of the War in North - West Pakistan .