The Pakistani army said one of  its soldiers was killed on Thursday in "unprovoked" Indian fire  along the border dividing the disputed territory of Kashmir, in  the second such incident within two days.

A series of clashes that began this month has undermined a  push by Pakistan's new civilian government to improve ties with  old rival India, although Pakistani officials say they are still  hoping to hold talks.A security official said the soldier was killed near  Rawalakot in the Poonch district, about 130 km (81 miles) from  the capital, Islamabad, "due to unprovoked Indian firing".

The violence came two weeks after the killing of five Indian  soldiers along the so-called Line of Control that separates the  two sides in the Himalayan region.India said the five were killed by Pakistani forces but  Pakistan denied involvement and the government has issued a  series of conciliatory statements.

"Pakistan will also continue to seek dialogue and resolution  of all outstanding issues with India peacefully," the Pakistani  government said in a statement on Thursday."The ceasefire should be maintained in letter and spirit.  

All military and diplomatic channels should be used to prevent  ceasefire violations,"it added.

The nuclear-armed rivals have fought three wars since 1947,  two of them over Kashmir. Both control a part of the  Muslim-majority region but claim it in full.A truce along their Kashmir border has held for nearly a  decade, even though it has been broken every now and then by  tit-for-tat artillery fire and an occasional cross-border  ambush.

India has faced an insurgency in its part of Kashmir since  1989 and has long accused Pakistan of supporting the militants  fighting Indian rule.

Pakistan denies arming the militants, saying it only offers  moral support to the Muslim people of Kashmir, who are living  under what Pakistan characterises as harsh Indian rule.Nevertheless, despite Pakistan's denials that it helps the  militants, fighters have for years slipped from the Pakistani  side of Kashmir into the Indian side to battle Indian forces.

India says this year it has seen a spike in attempts by  militants to infiltrate into its part of Kashmir.Many analysts expect the trend to continue as the two  countries jostle for influence in Afghanistan, from which a NATO  force is preparing to withdraw by the end of 2014.Each nation fears the other is trying to install a proxy  government in Kabul.