Pakistan's Inter-Services Public Relations on Friday denied India's Border Security Force's claims that it had killed seven Pakistani soldiers and one militant in Jammu and Kashmir's Kathua district the previous night. "Indian claim of hitting or killing any Pakistani soldier or ranger with firing at anytime today at LoC is absolutely false," a statement from the media wing of Pakistan's armed forces said. Instead, it added that Pakistani rangers had "befittingly responded" after the Indian side "resorted to unprovoked fire/shelling at the working boundary in Shakargarh sector".

BSF officials, who were not identified, had told news agencies that it had killed the Pakistani soldiers in retaliatory firing along the border in Kathua on Thursday night. They said one BSF constable was in a critical condition after suffering a bullet injury in the cross-border firing. Pakistan, however, denied any loss of life at their side.

India has said there has been an increase in ceasefire violations after it carried out surgical strikes on "terror launchpads" along the LoC. Officials reported breaches on October 3, 4 and 5 along the border in Jammu. On September 18, militants had attacked an Indian Army installation in Uri, killing 19 soldiers. India had accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack, but Islamabad has dismissed the allegations as "baseless".

At least 16 civilians were killed and 71 others injured in 405 incidents of cross-border firing by Pakistan last year, NDTV reported.