Pakistan’s navy said Friday it had “pushed” an Indian submarine away from Pakistani waters, as tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals continue to smoulder over unrest in the disputed Kashmir region.

The navy said it detected the submarine south of the Pakistani coast on November 14. It was tracked and “pushed well clear of our waters”.

The statement gave no further details about the incident and could not be independently verified.

Indian navy spokesman Captain DK Sharma denied the Pakistani claim, saying it was “all blatant lies”.

It came after months of tensions sparked by a September attack on an Indian base in Kashmir, which killed 19 soldiers and which New Delhi blames on Pakistan-based militants.

India said it had retaliated to the raid by carrying out “surgical strikes” across the heavily militarized border, sparking a furious reaction from Islamabad, which denied the strikes took place.

There have since been repeated outbreaks of cross-border firing, with both sides reporting deaths and injuries including of civilians.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region.

Source: AFP