Tensions Escalate: India and Pakistan Trade Fire Along Kashmir Border
Indian forces reported responding to unprovoked gunfire from Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir for the fourth consecutive night, intensifying a manhunt for militants following a deadly attack on tourists last week. The exchange of small arms fire, which began around midnight on Sunday in the Kupwara and Poonch sectors, underscores heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
The Indian Army stated that Pakistani posts initiated the firing, prompting a swift and effective retaliation from Indian troops. No casualties were reported in the latest skirmish. Pakistan’s military has not commented on the incident, Reuters reported. The LoC, a 740-km de facto border dividing Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, has seen renewed violence after four years of relative calm.
The flare-up follows a militant attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in Indian-administered Kashmir, where 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, were killed. Indian authorities have identified two of the three suspected attackers as Pakistani nationals, a claim Islamabad denies. Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, has called for a neutral investigation into the attack.
Indian security forces have intensified operations in Kashmir, detaining approximately 500 individuals for questioning and searching nearly 1,000 homes and forested areas. At least nine houses, including those of suspected militants, have been demolished. The attack, one of the deadliest in India in nearly two decades, has fueled public outrage and demands for action against Pakistan, which New Delhi accuses of supporting terrorism in the region a charge Pakistan rejects.
Political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, including Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, have urged restraint to avoid harming innocent civilians. “Punish the guilty, show them no mercy, but don’t let innocent people become collateral damage,” Abdullah posted on X on Saturday. Another former chief minister echoed the call, warning that alienation could further terrorist objectives.
The Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, initially claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam attack but later denied involvement in a post on X. The group is considered an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to Indian security officials.
The ongoing border clashes have deepened the diplomatic rift between India and Pakistan, who have fought two wars over Kashmir, a region both claim in full but administer in part. India has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and closed the only open land border, while Pakistan has banned Indian airlines from its airspace and halted bilateral trade.