Indian, Pakistani troops exchange fire in Kashmir

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Indian, Pakistani troops exchange fire in Kashmir

Troops from Pakistan and India reportedly engaged in a gun battle overnight across the Line of Control in disputed Kashmir.

This was after the United Nations urged the nuclear-armed rivals to show “maximum restraint” following a deadly shooting in the region.

Waploaded reports that relations have plunged to their lowest level in years, with India accusing Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” after gunmen carried out the worst attack on civilians in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir for a quarter of a century.

A government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Syed Ashfaq Gilani, told reporters on Friday that troops exchanged fire along the Line of Control, LOC, that separates the two countries.

“There was no firing on the civilian population,” he added.

Confirming the development, India’s army said there had been limited firing of small arms that it said had been initiated by Pakistan, adding that it had been effectively responded to.

Indian security forces have launched a giant manhunt for those responsible for killing 26 male tourists in Pahalgam on Tuesday, with police naming two Pakistani nationals among the fugitive gunmen.

Indian troops on Friday blew up homes in Kashmir in their search and issued wanted posters with sketches of three men.

Islamabad, while denying any involvement, described the attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack as frivolous, vowing to respond to any Indian action.

“Any threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.