ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry says Indian troops have fired across the frontier between the two countries in the disputed Kashmir region, killing two civilians and wounding two others.
Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal says Indian troops Thursday targeted the villages of Thub and Banchiran on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control with mortars and other weapons. Army officials said Pakistani forces returned fire and it was unclear if there were any casualties on the Indian side.
There was no immediate comment from India.
The nuclear-armed rivals routinely blame each other for starting any skirmishes and insist they are only retaliating.
Pakistan and India have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over their competing claims to Kashmir, which is split between them, and both claim the region in its entirety.
Pakistan says Indian fire kills 2 villagers in Kashmir
Pakistan says Indian fire kills 2 villagers in Kashmir
- Indian troops targeted the villages of Thub and Banchiran on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control with mortars and other weapons, says Foreign Ministry spokesman
- Army officials say Pakistani forces retaliated and it was unclear if there were any casualties on Indian side
Britain restricts some visas from four nations in major overhaul
- Britain had previously said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up deportations of those who arrive illegally, in an overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of the populist Reform UK party and tackling abuse of the current system
LONDON: Britain said on Tuesday the government would end study visas from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, and work visas for Afghans, in a major crackdown as anti-immigration sentiment rises in the country.
“An ‘emergency brake’ on visas has been imposed for the first time on nationals from four countries following a surge in asylum claims from legal routes,” the Home Office said in a statement.
Britain had previously said it would make refugee status temporary and speed up deportations of those who arrive illegally, in an overhaul aimed at stemming the rise of the populist Reform UK party and tackling abuse of the current system.
Interior minister Shabana Mahmood said that “Britain will always provide refuge to people fleeing war and persecution, but our visa system must not be abused.”
“That is why I am taking the unprecedented decision to refuse visas for those nationals seeking to exploit our generosity,” she added.
The Home Office said Mahmood will introduce new legislation this week to restore order and control to the country’s borders.
