Indian army trooper wounded in landmine explosion in Indian-controlled Kashmir

An Indian army soldier was wounded Tuesday after a landmine went off close to the line-of-control (LoC) in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said.

The blast took place in frontier Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch district, around 185 km southwest of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"A trooper was wounded in a landmine blast today," said Lt Col Manish Mehta, Indian army spokesman in Jammu. "The trooper inadvertently stepped on a landmine planted in the area, resulting in its explosion."

The wounded trooper was immediately hospitalized.

According to Mehta the trooper was part of a group that was on a routine patrol in the area. "His condition is stable now," Mehta said.

LoC is a de facto border that divides Kashmir into Indian and Pakistani-controlled parts.

International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), a Geneva based network has been urging both New Delhi and Islamabad to ban the use of landmines and launch comprehensive mine clearance programs.

India and Pakistan are yet to ban landmines and hence fall into the group of 36 countries in the world that are not signatories to the mine ban treaty.