India reports gunfire exchange with Pakistan's troops in disputed Kashmir amidst heated rhetoric

Indian and Pakistani soldiers exchanged gunfire in disputed Kashmir for a fifth straight night, New Delhi's army has said, one week since an attack targeting tourists sent relations into a tailspin.

The Indian army said early on Tuesday that its soldiers and Pakistani forces fired at each other overnight along the Line of Control, the de facto border in contested Kashmir, a heavily-fortified zone of high-altitude Himalayan outposts.

There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan.

Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours have plummeted after India — without offering any evidence — accused Pakistan of backing the deadliest attack in years on civilians in India-administered Kashmir on April 22, in which 26 men were killed.

Islamabad has rejected the charge, calling it a "false flag" operation and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, diplomatic barbs, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut.

Indian troops have since arrested some 2,000 Kashmiris and blasted many homes of suspected rebels.

India said that overnight Monday to Tuesday, the "Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control", saying the gunfire took place in areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts, as well as in the Akhnoor sector.

The Indian army said its troops had "responded in a measured and effective manner to the provocation". There were no reports of casualties.

India has said Tuesday is the deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave. It has suspended World Bank-brokered 1960 Indus Water Treaty, saying it will block water of three rivers from entering Pakistan.

Islamabad says such an act will amount to declaration of war and has suspended 1972 Simla Agreement with India. The agreement forms the bedrock of India-Pakistan relations, governing the Line of Control and outlining commitments to resolve disputes peacefully.

Analysts say they fear bellicose statements will escalate into possible military action.

Kashmir conflict

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full. UN has passed several resolutions calling for plebiscite in the region.

Rebels in the Indian-controlled area have waged an insurgency since 1989 with the goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India, which has stationed some 500,000 troops in the region, claims the Kashmir revolt is "Pakistan-sponsored terrorism".

Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

The United Nations has urged the arch-rivals to show "maximum restraint", while China, which shares a border with both India and Pakistan, urged both sides on Monday to "exercise restraint".

Türkiye has called for immediate thaw.

"We want the escalating tensions between Pakistan and India to be de-escalated as soon as possible, before they evolve into a more serious situation," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters on Monday.

US President Donald Trump on Friday downplayed tensions saying the dispute will get "figured out, one way or another".

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Source: TRT