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 The two sides exchanged mortars and intense gunfire this month,
killing at least 20 civilians and wounding dozens in the worst
violation to date of a 2003 ceasefire. While the firing has abated,
tension remains high along a 200-km (125-mile) stretch of the border
dividing the nuclear-armed rivals.
"Our conventional strength is far more than theirs. So if they
persist with this, they'll feel the pain of this adventurism,"
Indian Defense Minister Arun Jaitley told NDTV in an interview.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government came to power in
May promising a tough response to violence in the Himalayan
territory. It accuses Pakistan of helping Islamist militants cross
into its side to keep alive a 25-year armed revolt in India's only
Muslim-majority state.
Military officers on both sides say Indian border commanders adopted
a more aggressive stance in the clashes this month, firing 1,000
mortars on one day this month.
It was not clear what triggered the fighting.
Pakistani army officials said the trouble began with India's
decision to beef up border defenses, in violation of the ceasefire
pact.
Indian army commanders, for their part, were incensed by the killing
of a soldier on their side of the Line of Control in Kashmir in a
remote-controlled explosion that they blamed on militants backed by
Pakistani army regulars.
"When Pakistan used to fire, we always had a shield in our hand.
This time we also had a sword," said Jaitley, a close associate of
Modi who is also finance minister.
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Modi invited his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif, to his
inauguration as part of a push to rebuild trust with neighbors. But
while relations with the smaller neighbors are improving, Pakistan
has remained a stumbling block.
In August, the Modi government abruptly called off talks between the
two countries' top diplomats, objecting to Pakistan's ambassador to
New Delhi holding talks with Kashmiri separatists ahead of the
meeting.
Jaitley said it was up to Pakistan to create the conditions for
dialogue.
"Of course we can talk to Pakistan, but it is up to Pakistan to
create an atmosphere for talks. Pakistan has to stop triggers which
upset the environment in which talks are held," he said.
(Reporting by Sanjeev Miglani; Editing by John Chalmers)
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