An army officer was killed following unprovoked heavy shelling by Pakistani troops at Siachen, the world's highest battlefield, on Saturday, a defence ministry spokesman said in New Delhi over the weekend.

He said that lieutenant colonel Sachin Kumar Kanderiya was killed when a shell fired by the Pakistani troops exploded near his post on the glacier.

Pakistan troops fired 411 shells from artillery and other weapons, forcing Indian troops to retaliate. However, the casualty suffered by Pakistani troops in the retaliatory action was not known, the spokesman said.

He said Pakistani troops also fired on Indian positions at Kargil sector on Saturday. While the Indian side suffered no casualty, a Pakistani bunker was destroyed in the retaliatory action, the spokesman added.