India: Pakistan breaches cease-fire again

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir (CNN) -- India's military on Wednesday accused Pakistani forces of another cease-fire breach in Kashmir.

"Pakistani troops fired six 82-mm mortar rounds in a span of one hour... at our positions," Indian defense spokesman Lt. Col. A. K. Mathur said Wednesday.

But the report was denied by Pakistan's army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, who said there had been no "exchange of fire from our side ... of the LoC [Line of Control]," that divides the Kashmir region between India and Pakistan

Mathur said no Indian forces were wounded in the incident, and they "maintained restraint and didn't retaliate."

"We contacted the Pakistan army on the hotline and told them to stop the firing so that the situation doesn't escalate," the Indian spokesman said.

But Abbas said he had no reports from local commanders of any incident

"This has been their [India's] allegation but as far as the local commanders are concerned ... there is no incident from our side of any kind," Abbas said.

The reported incident came after Monday's border clash in Kashmir, the first major skirmish between South Asia's nuclear rivals since a 2003 cease-fire.

India maintains that Pakistani crossed the LoC and fired on Indian soldiers, prompting a firefight. Pakistan blamed India for sparking the incident by crossing into its territory in Kashmir.

Senior Pakistani and Indian military officials met briefly Tuesday to discuss the incident, in which one Indian soldier was killed. Pakistan denied reports that its forces sustained casualties.

Indian and Pakistani forces have exchanged periodic gunfire since May, but Monday's clashes appear to be a serious setback to the ongoing peace process between the two nations.

Indian Defense Minister A. K. Antony blames Pakistan for 19 cease-fire violations since January, which Pakistan denies.

Kashmir has been at the root of two wars between India and Pakistan, both of which tested nuclear weapons in 1998.

An 18-year separatist campaign in the Indian-controlled portion of the largely Muslim territory has claimed more than 43,000 lives, according to government officials, although human rights groups and non-governmental organizations put the toll at twice that number.

India has long accused Pakistan of supporting the separatists in Kashmir, a charge Pakistan denies. India blamed militants from Pakistan for a suicide car bombing outside its embassy in Afghanistan that killed 58 people on July 7.

CNN's Mukhtar Ahmad in Srinagar contributed to this report.