Pakistani troops open fire at a location along the border along the disputed Kashmir
Srinagar, India – Pakistani soldiers opened fire on the second straight night in the controversial Indian outpost in Kashmir as tensions continued to rise among rivals of nuclear weapons after a fatal attack on tourists last week, the Indian military said on Saturday.
India described the massacre in which the gunman killed 26 people, most of whom were Indian tourists, a “terrorist attack” and accused Pakistan of supporting it.
Pakistan denies the charges. The attack near Pahalgam, a resort town in Indian-controlled Kashmir, was caused by a previously unknown militant group called the Kashmir Resistance.
This is the worst attack on civilians in a stationary area in years. Tensions between India and Pakistan have dangerously intensified in the days since then, two of the three wars fought Kashmir. The region is divided between them and claimed by both.
Indian troops said on Saturday that soldiers from multiple Pakistani troops opened fire on Indian troops at the “wide line of control” in Kashmir. “Indian troops responded appropriately with small arms,” the statement said.
The statement added that there were no casualties.
Pakistan did not immediately comment and could not independently verify the incidents. In the past, both sides accused each other of starting a border skirmish in the Himalayas.
The Kashmir Market adopted in Pakistan on Saturday showed no signs of evacuation from villages located near the control line.
India suspended a vital moisture treaty and closed the only functional land crossing point. It also revoked visas issued to Pakistani nationals from Sunday.
Pakistan retaliated by canceling visas issued to Indian nationals, closing its space to all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines and suspending all trade with India. On Friday, nationals from both sides began to travel to their home countries through the Waga border near the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
Islamabad warned that any attempt by India to stop or divert the water flow would be considered an “act of war”. The suspension of water treaties could lead to water shortages in parts of Pakistan as drought and rainfall falls.
“Pakistan is ready to face any Indian aggression,” the country's information minister Attaullah Tarar said in a televised statement on Friday.
New Delhi describes all armed forces in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan rejects this, and many Muslim Kashmiris believe militants are part of the native freedom struggle.
Iran mediated due to high tensions between the two countries, and U.S. President Donald Trump said he hoped they could resolve the differences.
“Tehran is ready to use its good offices in Islamabad and New Delhi to improve understanding during this difficult time,” Iranian Foreign Minister Syed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday.
“India and Pakistan are brotherly neighbors of Iran, enjoying relationships rooted in cultural and civilized relations that have been rooted in hundreds of years of history. Like other neighbors, we think this is our most important priority.”
“There is a lot of tension between Pakistan and India, but there will always be,” Trump said Friday.
Trump, speaking on Air Force One, did not answer when asked by reporters if he would contact the leaders of both countries, but said: “They would let it figure out one way or another.”
The United States has long called for peace between India and Pakistan and introduced it in a 1999 big border skirmish.
US Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard expressed solidarity with India.
“We are with you and support you when looking for people who are attacking this outrageous attack,” Gabbard said on the X platform.
On Friday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said senior diplomats from Saudi Arabia and Iran spoke with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar to discuss the ongoing regional situation.
India briefly introduces the events and steps in New Delhi to the envoys of all G-20 and Gulf countries.
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Roy reported on Ahmed in Islamabad from New Delhi. Associated Press writer Ishfaq Hussain contributed to the story from Muzaffarabad, Pakistan.