ISLAMABAD (AFP) - A Pakistani girl was killed on Wednesday when Indian troops opened fire across the de facto border that divides disputed Kashmir between the two nuclear-armed rivals, officials said.

The incident took place in Rawlakot district, around 65km east of Islamabad near the the Line of Control separating the Indian and Pakistani-controlled sectors of the Himalayan territory.

"Indian troops resorted to small arms and artillery fire in Battal area killing a 10-year old girl and wounding her mother," a senior security official told AFP.

He said Pakistani troops returned fire and senior local official Sohail Azam, confirming the casualties, told AFP sporadic exchanges were ongoing.

He said that the girl died after shrapnel from a mortar fired by Indian troops hit her house in Battal area.

Local resident Imtiaz Ahmad told AFP that he and other members of his family were confined to their house because of Indian firing.

On Tuesday, Indian troops opened fire on a small village in Kotli town along the Line of Control, injuring a 65-year old woman.

India and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Muslim-majority Kashmir, which is held in part by each country but claimed in full by both.

The two nuclear-armed neighbours agreed to a ceasefire along the Line of Control in Nov 2003, but there have been sporadic clashes in Kashmir with both sides accusing each other of violating the deal.