NEW DELHI — India and Pakistan exchanged gunfire across the contested Kashmir border for a fourth consecutive night, military officials said Monday, following a deadly attack last week on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The Indian army said its forces responded to “unprovoked small arms fire” from multiple Pakistani army posts around midnight Sunday along the 740-kilometer (460-mile) Line of Control, the de facto frontier that divides Kashmir between the two nuclear-armed rivals. The Pakistani military has not commented on the latest exchange. No casualties have been reported.
The persistent cross-border skirmishes have raised fears of broader military escalation between the two countries, whose longstanding rivalry over Kashmir has fueled multiple wars and frequent armed clashes.
Tensions have soared since gunmen killed 26 people near the resort town of Pahalgam last Tuesday, in what officials described as the deadliest attack on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir in a quarter-century. Survivors and security officials said the attackers segregated men during the assault, asking their names and targeting Hindus before shooting at close range.
India quickly blamed Pakistan for supporting and funding cross-border terrorism, a charge Islamabad has denied. Pakistani leaders have called for a neutral investigation into the killings.
In the aftermath of the attack, Indian authorities launched a massive security operation, identifying two of the three suspects as Pakistani nationals. Security forces detained approximately 500 people for questioning and searched nearly 1,000 homes and forests in the region, according to Reuters, citing a local police official.
Both nations have since taken retaliatory steps. India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, a key water-sharing agreement, and sealed its land border with Pakistan. In response, Islamabad closed its airspace to Indian airlines.
India’s defense forces have also conducted a series of military exercises across the country. While some drills were routine preparedness activities, a defense official acknowledged heightened readiness following the attack.
Meanwhile, a militant group, Kashmir Resistance — also known as The Resistance Front — issued a statement Sunday denying responsibility for the assault. The group claimed that an earlier message taking credit was the result of a cyberattack, alleging it was orchestrated by Indian intelligence.
Kashmir, claimed in full by both India and Pakistan since their separation in 1947, has been a flashpoint for decades. An armed insurgency against Indian rule has simmered since 1989, further straining relations between the two neighbors, both of which possess nuclear weapons.
