KATHMANDU. Pakistani and Indian troops exchanged fire in disputed Kashmir for a third consecutive night on Sunday, officials said, as relations between the nuclear-armed rivals plunged to their lowest point in years.
India has accused Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” by gunmen who carried out the worst attack on civilians in disputed Muslim-majority Kashmir in a quarter of a century. Islamabad has denied any involvement and has vowed to respond to any Indian action, calling attempts to link Pakistan to the attack “slight.”
Indian security forces have launched a massive manhunt for those who killed 26 men at a tourist site in Pahalgam on April 22, and police have named two Pakistani nationals among the fugitive gunmen. The Indian Army on Sunday said there was “unnecessary” small arms firing by “Pakistan” along the Line of Control (LoC) that divides the two countries. “(Our) own troops responded effectively with appropriate small arms fire,” the Indian Army said.
Pakistan has not yet confirmed the latest firing. Following the attack, New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of mainland border crossings with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and revoked visas for Pakistanis. In response, Islamabad ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisors, cancelled visas for Indian nationals except for Sikh pilgrims and closed its main border crossing. The United Nations has urged arch-rivals India and Pakistan to show “maximum restraint” so that issues can be “peacefully resolved through meaningful mutual engagement.”
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्