India says Pakistani troops fired at positions along border in disputed Kashmir
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SRINAGAR, India — Pakistani soldiers fired at Indian posts along the highly militarized frontier in disputed Kashmir for a second consecutive night, the Indian military said Saturday, as tensions continued to rise between the nuclear-armed rivals following a deadly attack on tourists last week.
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India has described the massacre, in which gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Indian tourists, as a “terror attack” and accused Pakistan of backing it.
Pakistan denies the charge. The assault, near the resort town of Pahalgam in India-controlled Kashmir, was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance.
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It was the restive region’s worst assault targeting civilians in years. In the days since, tensions have risen dangerously between India and Pakistan, which have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. The region is split between them and claimed by both in its entirety.
The Indian army said Saturday that soldiers from multiple Pakistani army posts overnight opened fire at Indian troops “all across the Line of Control” in Kashmir. “Indian troops responded appropriately with small arms,” the statement said, calling the firing “unprovoked.”
There were no casualties reported, the statement added.
There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, and the incidents could not be independently verified. In the past, each side has accused the other of starting border skirmishes in the Himalayan region.
Markets and bazaars were open in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Saturday, and there was no sign of evacuations from villages located near the Line of Control.
India has suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty and closed the only functional land border crossing. It has also revoked visas issued to Pakistani nationals with effect from Sunday.
Pakistan retaliated by canceling visas issued to Indian nationals, closing its airspace to all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines, and suspending all trade with India. Nationals from both sides began heading to their home countries through the Wagah border near Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on Friday.
Islamabad warned that any Indian attempt to stop or divert the flow of water would be considered an “act of war.” The suspension of the water treaty could lead to water shortages at a time when parts of Pakistan are already struggling with drought and declining rainfall.
“Pakistan is fully prepared to confront any Indian aggression,” the country’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a televised statement Friday.
New Delhi describes all militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan rejects this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.
With tensions high between the two countries, Iran offered mediation, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected them to work out their differences.
“Tehran stands ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to forge greater understanding at this difficult time,” Iranian Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday.
“India and Pakistan are brotherly neighbors of Iran, enjoying relations rooted in centuries-old cultural and civilizational ties. Like other neighbors, we consider them our foremost priority,” Araghchi wrote in a social media post.
Trump on Friday said “there’s great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been.”
Trump, who spoke on board Air Force One, did not answer when asked by reporters whether he would contact leaders of the two countries, but said “they’ll get it figured out one way or the other.”
The U.S. has long called for calm between India and Pakistan, and mediated between the two rivals during a major border skirmish in 1999.
U.S. intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard expressed solidarity with India.
“We are with you and support you as you hunt down those responsible for this heinous attack,” Gabbard said on the X platform.
On Friday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said senior diplomats from Saudi Arabia and Iran had spoken with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss the ongoing regional situation.
India has briefed the envoys of all G-20 countries and Gulf nations, apprising them of the incident and steps taken by New Delhi.
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Roy reported from New Delhi and Ahmed from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Ishfaq Hussain contributed to this story from Muzaffarabad, Pakistan.
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SRINAGAR, India — Pakistani soldiers fired at Indian posts along the highly militarized frontier in disputed Kashmir for a second consecutive night, the Indian military said Saturday, as tensions continued to rise between the nuclear-armed rivals following a deadly attack on tourists last week.
India has described the massacre, in which gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Indian tourists, as a “terror attack” and accused Pakistan of backing it.
Pakistan denies the charge. The assault, near the resort town of Pahalgam in India-controlled Kashmir, was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance.
It was the restive region’s worst assault targeting civilians in years. In the days since, tensions have risen dangerously between India and Pakistan, which have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir. The region is split between them and claimed by both in its entirety.
The Indian army said Saturday that soldiers from multiple Pakistani army posts overnight opened fire at Indian troops “all across the Line of Control” in Kashmir. “Indian troops responded appropriately with small arms,” the statement said, calling the firing “unprovoked.”
There were no casualties reported, the statement added.
There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, and the incidents could not be independently verified. In the past, each side has accused the other of starting border skirmishes in the Himalayan region.
Markets and bazaars were open in Pakistan-administered Kashmir on Saturday, and there was no sign of evacuations from villages located near the Line of Control.
India has suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty and closed the only functional land border crossing. It has also revoked visas issued to Pakistani nationals with effect from Sunday.
Pakistan retaliated by canceling visas issued to Indian nationals, closing its airspace to all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines, and suspending all trade with India. Nationals from both sides began heading to their home countries through the Wagah border near Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on Friday.
Islamabad warned that any Indian attempt to stop or divert the flow of water would be considered an “act of war.” The suspension of the water treaty could lead to water shortages at a time when parts of Pakistan are already struggling with drought and declining rainfall.
“Pakistan is fully prepared to confront any Indian aggression,” the country’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said in a televised statement Friday.
New Delhi describes all militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan rejects this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.
With tensions high between the two countries, Iran offered mediation, while U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected them to work out their differences.
“Tehran stands ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to forge greater understanding at this difficult time,” Iranian Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday.
“India and Pakistan are brotherly neighbors of Iran, enjoying relations rooted in centuries-old cultural and civilizational ties. Like other neighbors, we consider them our foremost priority,” Araghchi wrote in a social media post.
Trump on Friday said “there’s great tension between Pakistan and India, but there always has been.”
Trump, who spoke on board Air Force One, did not answer when asked by reporters whether he would contact leaders of the two countries, but said “they’ll get it figured out one way or the other.”
The U.S. has long called for calm between India and Pakistan, and mediated between the two rivals during a major border skirmish in 1999.
U.S. intelligence chief Tulsi Gabbard expressed solidarity with India.
“We are with you and support you as you hunt down those responsible for this heinous attack,” Gabbard said on the X platform.
On Friday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said senior diplomats from Saudi Arabia and Iran had spoken with Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss the ongoing regional situation.
India has briefed the envoys of all G-20 countries and Gulf nations, apprising them of the incident and steps taken by New Delhi.
___
Roy reported from New Delhi and Ahmed from Islamabad. Associated Press writer Ishfaq Hussain contributed to this story from Muzaffarabad, Pakistan.
