A flare up between arch-foes India and Pakistan appeared to be easing on Saturday after Islamabad handed back a captured Indian pilot, but tensions continued to simmer amid efforts by global powers to prevent a war between the nuclear-armed neighbors Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who became the face and symbol of the biggest clash between India and Pakistan in many years, walked across the border just before 9 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Friday in a high-profile handover shown on live television. Shelling across the Line of Control (LoC) that acts as a de facto border in the disputed Kashmir region, a frequent feature in recent weeks, continued on Saturday. Pakistan's military said on Saturday its air force and navy "continue to be alert and vigilant", while two of its soldiers were killed after exchanging fire with Indian troops along the Line of Control. India's military said on Saturday that Pakistan was firing mortar shells across the LoC. Global powers, including China and the United States, have urged restraint to prevent another conflict between the neighbors who have fought three wars since independence from Britain in 1947. On Friday, four Indian troops and one civilian were killed in a clash with militants in the Indian-administered Kashmir, where a further three people were killed and one wounded from Pakistani shelling. Pakistan's military said two civilians were killed and two wounded since Friday afternoon on Pakistan's side of Kashmir from a barrage of Indian shelling. In a sign of the unease, residents say they are afraid another conflagration is likely. "The way situation is developing along the LoC makes me feel that both sides may collide head-on anytime now," said Chaudhry Jahangir, a Pakistani resident of the Samahni sector in Kashmir. — Reuters
