India, Pakistan exchange fire for second day as tensions soar after Kashmir attack

Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged gunfire for a second consecutive day on Saturday, as relations between the two nuclear-armed neighbors deteriorated following a deadly attack on tourists in India’s Kashmir region.

According to the Indian Army, its forces responded to "unprovoked" small arms fire from multiple Pakistani Army posts that began around midnight on Friday along the 740-kilometer (460-mile) Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Indian- and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

The Indian Army said Pakistani troops had also initiated sporadic fire the previous night, but no casualties were reported on the Indian side.

There was no immediate response from Pakistan’s military regarding the latest exchanges.

Tensions between the two countries escalated sharply after an attack on April 22 that killed 26 tourists in Kashmir. Indian police have identified three suspects in connection with the assault, including two Pakistani nationals. Pakistan has denied any involvement and called for an international investigation into the incident.

In the wake of the attack, both countries announced retaliatory measures. Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines, while India suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, which governs water-sharing from the Indus River and its tributaries.

Although India and Pakistan maintain a long-standing ceasefire agreement over the disputed Kashmir region, sporadic gunfire and skirmishes are common. The two countries have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

Copied