Pakistan, India try to defuse tensions after fire exchanges
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In this Saturday, Oct. 1, 2016 photo, Pakistan army soldiers monitor the area from the hilltop Bagsar post on the line of control, that divides Kashmir between Pakistan and India, near Bhimber, some 166 kilometers (103 miles) from Islamabad, Pakistan. Officials in Islamabad say Pakistan and India are trying to de-escalate border tensions after their troops exchanged several rounds of gunfire over the last week in the disputed Kashmir region. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed) (The Associated Press)
Officials in Islamabad say Pakistan and India are trying to de-escalate border tensions after their troops exchanged several rounds of gunfire over the last week in the disputed Kashmir region.
The officials said Tuesday that Pakistani adviser Nasser Khan Janjua spoke with India's security adviser Ajit Doval by phone briefly on Monday, discussing ways to restore calm.
It's the first such contact amid tensions that have been running high between the two nuclear arch-rivals since India claimed a militant attack in its part of Kashmir had killed 19 soldiers on Sept. 18.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The three officials, including a close aide of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the information to the media.
Monday's five-hour gunfire exchange caused no casualties.