Indian and Pakistani troops have exchanged gunfire for a fourth consecutive night along the disputed Kashmir border, India’s military said on Monday, as tensions escalate following a deadly terrorist attack last week.
“Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small arms fire across the Line of Control,” the Indian army said in a statement, referring to the de facto border in contested Kashmir. “Indian troops responded swiftly and effectively.”
There were no reported casualties from the border skirmish. Pakistani officials did not immediately confirm the incident.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have deteriorated after militants killed 26 civilians at a resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir last week, the deadliest attack on civilians in the region in 25 years.
India has accused Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” in connection with the attack. Pakistan has denied any involvement, dismissing the allegations as “frivolous” and warning it would respond to any Indian action.
Following the attack, New Delhi downgraded diplomatic ties, withdrew visas for Pakistani nationals, suspended a water-sharing treaty, and closed the main land border crossing with Pakistan.
In response, Islamabad ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, canceled visas for Indian nationals, and barred its airspace to Indian aircraft.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without directly naming Pakistan, promised “severe punishment” in a speech last Thursday, raising concerns about potential military action.
The United Nations has called for “maximum restraint” from both sides, urging that issues be “resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement.”
Escalation between the rivals, who have fought several wars over Kashmir since gaining independence in 1947, poses significant risks given that both countries possess nuclear weapons.
Pakistan’s defense minister meanwhile this morning has claimed that an incursion by Indian is “imminent,” and that in a normal armed conflict, both countries should “refrain” from the use of nuclear weapons.
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