Pakistan army accuses India of killing five soldiers near LoC

Five Pakistani soldiers were killed and another injured in an explosion near the Line of Control (LoC) on Wednesday, army spokesman said.

The incident is evidence of "state-sponsored terrorism by India violating bilateral ceasefire agreement," says Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). 

The ISPR accused India of killing five soldiers along the border in Kashmir. The soldiers were killed in a blast in Barnala, on the Pakistan-administered side of Kashmir, just a few metres from the so-called "Line of Control" that divides the region, the military said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear when the blast happened. "The incident is evident of state sponsored terrorism by India violating bilateral ceasefire agreement and the international rules," the statement said, though it also added that the nature of the blast is still being investigated.

Earlier during the day, Pakistani authorities announced a crackdown on Wednesday against Hafiz Saeed, leader of the group blamed for deadly attacks on Mumbai in 2008, amid growing international pressure to act against militant groups.

Pakistan's counter-terrorism department said it had launched 23 cases against Saeed and 12 aides for using five trusts to collect funds and donations for Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Two banned LeT-linked charities, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FIF), were also targeted, the department said in a statement.

"All the assets of these organisations and individuals will be frozen and taken over by the state," said a counter-terrorism senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The counter-terrorism department said the action was in accordance with U.N. sanctions against the individuals and entities.

Agencies