Fresh Firing Reported Near Line of Control in J&K's Poonch

The firing at Kitni, in which small arms are being used, is still going on, said sources. This comes in the wake of a brief lull overnight, during which no new cases of firing were reported.

The spike in firing from the Pakistani side is because "Pakistan wants to Internationalise the Kashmir issue," said 16 Corps Commander Lieutenant General K H Singh. He added that the Army was "prepared to deal with the situation".

Eight people have been killed and over 60 injured in heavy firing and shelling by Pakistani troops this week, in the worst violence at the border in a decade.

After a meeting that Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif held with top ministers and his country's military chiefs yesterday, his office said in a statement that they had, "stressed the fact that both countries are aware of each other's capabilities. War is not an option. It is shared responsibility of the leadership of both countries to immediately defuse the situation."

The statement said Mr Sharif's participation in PM Modi's oath ceremony earlier this year was "a manifestation of Pakistan's sincere desire to constructively engage India to establish durable peace in the region."

About 20,000 people have been displaced in Pakistan and many of their posts have been destroyed by the robust Indian response to the firing from across the border, sources said. The intensity of firing is expected to subside further, they said, with the message going out to Pakistan that India will not back down despite death and damage on its side.

Addressing a rally in Maharashtra, PM Modi said, "Pakistan will not dare to repeat it again. Our jawans have shut their mouth... I assure you, the government of India will act promptly to provide adequate compensation to those who had to leave their homes due to shelling and migrate elsewhere."

Sources also said there is no decision on resuming flag meetings at the border. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in an interview to NDTV that these meetings were necessary to defuse tension and bring the 2003 ceasefire between the two countries back on track.

Most villages along the International Border in Jammu, Samba and Kathua districts have been deserted since the shelling started on October 6. Thousands of villagers have fled their homes.

On Thursday, India had warned Pakistan that it is not afraid of escalating fire and the forces have been given a free hand to deal with the situation. "If Pakistan persists with this adventurism, our forces will make the cost of this adventurism unaffordable for it," said Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.