Indian officials say troops exchanged fire with Pakistani soldiers in disputed Kashmir

Indian and Pakistani soldiers concisely exchanged occurrence on their highly militarized frontier successful the disputed Himalayan portion of Kashmir, Indian officials said Friday, arsenic tensions soared betwixt the nuclear-armed rivals pursuing a deadly onslaught connected tourists.

India has described the massacre successful which gunmen killed 26 people, astir of them Indian, arsenic a "terror attack" and accused Pakistan of backing it. Pakistan denied immoderate transportation to the onslaught adjacent the edifice municipality of Pahalgam successful India-controlled Kashmir. It was claimed by a antecedently chartless militant radical calling itself the Kashmir Resistance.

INDIA VOWS TO HUNT TERRORISTS ‘TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH’ AS TENSIONS WITH PAKISTAN RISE AFTER KASHMIR ATTACK

With the portion connected edge, 3 Indian service officials said that Pakistani soldiers fired astatine an Indian presumption successful Kashmir precocious Thursday. The officials, who spoke connected information of anonymity successful keeping with departmental policy, said Indian soldiers retaliated and nary casualties were reported.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to remark connected the report.

Tensions rise

Tuesday’s onslaught successful Kashmir was the worst battle successful years targeting civilians successful the restive region. Since then, tensions person risen dangerously betwixt India and Pakistan, which person fought 2 of their 3 wars implicit Kashmir, which is divided betwixt them and claimed by some successful its entirety.

On Wednesday, India suspended a important water-sharing pact that has withstood 2 wars betwixt the countries and closed their lone functional onshore borderline crossing. A time later, India revoked each visas issued to Pakistani nationals with effect from Sunday.

Pakistan responded angrily that it has thing to bash with the attack, and canceled visas issued to Indian nationals, closed its airspace for each Indian-owned oregon Indian-operated airlines and suspended each commercialized with India. Nationals from some sides began heading backmost to their location countries done the Wagah borderline adjacent Pakistan’s eastbound metropolis of Lahore connected Friday.

Islamabad besides warned that immoderate Indian effort to halt oregon divert the travel of h2o would beryllium considered an "act of war." The suspension of the h2o pact could pb to h2o shortages astatine a clip erstwhile parts of Pakistan are already struggling with drought and declining rainfall.

Pakistan has besides warned it could suspend the Simla Agreement — successful what would beryllium a large and worrying step. The bid pact signed aft the 1971 India-Pakistan warfare established the Line of Control, a highly militarized de facto borderline that divides Kashmir betwixt the countries.

The United Nations has urged India and Pakistan "to workout maximum restraint and to guarantee that the concern and the developments we’ve seen bash not deteriorate immoderate further."

Kashmiri villager women grieve arsenic they beryllium extracurricular the blown-up household location of Asif Shiekh, a militant who officials accidental is progressive successful the deadly onslaught connected tourists successful Pahalgam, astatine Monghama colony successful Tral, southbound of Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Friday, April 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

"Any issues betwixt Pakistan and India, we judge tin beryllium and should beryllium resolved peacefully, done meaningful, communal engagement," the connection said Friday.

India and Pakistan each administer a portion of Kashmir. New Delhi describes each militancy determination arsenic Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and galore Muslim Kashmiris see the militants to beryllium portion of a home-grown state struggle.

Residents and constabulary successful confederate Kashmir said Indian soldiers detonated explosives successful the household homes of 2 suspected militants they accused of being progressive successful Tuesday’s attack. In the past, Indian troops person demolished homes arsenic a mode to punish militancy successful Kashmir.

Authorities accidental they are investigating 2 section men and 2 Pakistani nationals for their alleged engagement successful the attack. Officials person not elaborated oregon shared immoderate evidence.

"He near location 3 years ago. We haven’t seen him since and thing was ever recovered from this location contempt aggregate raids," said Afroza, the aunt of 1 of the section men accused, Asif Sheikh. The blast partially damaged the location successful Monghama colony that she shares with Sheikh's parents and 2 sisters, including blowing retired its windows. It besides shattered windowpanes of respective different homes.

"Even if helium had done the attack, wherefore stroke up the location of a mediocre family," Afroza, who similar galore women successful Kashmir uses lone 1 name, said arsenic she wailed.

A constabulary authoritative and 2 residents successful Guree colony said a location determination was besides targeted by soldiers. The authoritative insisted connected anonymity due to the fact that helium was not authorized to talk with media portion the 2 villagers feared reprisals from authorities.

Protesters instrumentality to the streets

Also Friday, hundreds of radical rallied successful Muzaffarabad, the superior of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, to denounce the suspension of the water-sharing treaty.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and burned his effigy earlier dispersing peacefully. Similar tiny rallies were besides held elsewhere.

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Pakistan’s Senate condemned the attack, portion passing a solution denouncing New Delhi’s effort to nexus Islamabad to it and the suspension of the h2o treaty.

Hundreds of demonstrators besides took to streets successful India’s superior of New Delhi, wherever astir markets were unopen successful protestation against the killings. They demanded enactment against Pakistan.

"Now our patience has tally out," protester Surekha Sharma said. "Now we privation revenge for this."