SRINAGAR – Indian and Pakistani forces exchanged gunfire for a second consecutive night on April 26, intensifying tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors following a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir that India has blamed on Pakistani militants.
According to the Indian Army, its soldiers retaliated after “unprovoked” small arms fire from multiple Pakistani military posts began shortly after midnight on April 25 along the Line of Control (LoC), the 740-kilometer de facto border separating the two sides of Kashmir. A similar exchange had occurred the night before, though the Indian Army reported no casualties from its side during either incident.
The Pakistani military has yet to issue a statement regarding the latest skirmishes.
Meanwhile, Kashmir police have named three suspects in connection with the April 22 massacre, including two identified as Pakistani nationals. Islamabad has firmly rejected allegations of involvement, with its Defence Minister calling for an international probe into the attack.
The violence has triggered a cascade of retaliatory measures: Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian carriers, while India has suspended the historic Indus Waters Treaty, a six-decade-old agreement regulating river-sharing between the two nations.
Though a ceasefire agreement is technically in place, gunfire exchanges remain a frequent flashpoint in the contested region, which has been the epicenter of two of the three wars fought between India and Pakistan since independence.