Indian troops shot dead a Pakistani trooper in fresh skirmishes along the Line of Control (LoC) dividing Kashmir, officials said Friday.

The deadly exchange took place Thursday evening in the forward area of Lam in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district, around 195 km northwest of Jammu city, the winter capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

This is the first deadly exchange between the armies of the two countries since a renewed agreement to honor ceasefire of 2003 was reached a month ago.

Initially Army officials said they had gunned down an infiltrator and recovered an assault rifle by his side.

"Army troops deployed on LoC observed suspicious movement of about two persons opposite our post. Their movements were continuously tracked thereafter a firefight broke out during which one infiltrator was killed," said S N Acharaya, a Jammu-based Indian Army spokesman. "During the operation one of our troopers received a gunshot wound and he was immediately taken to Command Hospital, Udhampur."

However, a New Delhi-based Indian Army Spokesman Jagdip Dahiya on Friday told India's official broadcaster All India radio (AIR) their troops killed a Pakistani soldier who had crossed LoC in Nowshera sector.

"The Pakistani soldier was killed in retaliatory firing by the troops," Col. Dahiya told AIR.

According to AIR, Indian Army has accepted the request of Director General Military Operations of Pakistan Army to return the body of the Pakistani soldier.

Last month's skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troopers on LoC heightened tension between the nuclear neighbors. Five troopers of both countries (two from India and three from Pakistan) were killed in the flare-up.

New Delhi and Islamabad in 2003 agreed to observe a ceasefire along the international border and LoC in Kashmir. Though some violations have been reported on both sides, the ceasefire remains in effect.

However, this year accusations from both sides of breaching the ceasefire line have heightened the tensions between the two neighbors.

The escalation in firing in Kashmir saw suspension of the cross LoC trade and travel.

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into Pakistan and Indian controlled parts.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from British, the two countries have fought three wars, two exclusively over Kashmir. Endit

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