Border tensions rise between India and Pakistan

Tensions between India and Pakistan are escalating following a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir last week. New Delhi is deepening its search for militants identified as Pakistani nationals responsible for the attack, while clashes are occurring with Pakistan along the de facto border.

Following the April 22 attack that killed 26 people, India identified two of the three suspected militants as Pakistani, but Islamabad denied any role in the incident and called for an impartial investigation.

The attack sparked widespread anger in India, with calls rising among Hindu nationalists for action against Pakistan, which New Delhi accuses of financing and encouraging Islamist terror in Kashmir, a region claimed by both countries and the site of two wars.

The two nuclear-armed countries have taken a series of measures against each other. India suspended the critical Indus Water Treaty, while Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines.

The Indian army stated that around midnight on Sunday, it responded to “unprovoked” small arms fire from several Pakistan army posts along the 740 km (460 mile) de facto border separating the Indian and Pakistani parts of Kashmir. No further details were provided, and no casualties were reported.

The Pakistan army did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

In a separate statement, the Pakistan army said it had killed 54 Islamist militants attempting to enter the country from the western Afghan border in the past two days.

Indian defense forces have conducted several military exercises across the country since the attack. A defense official said some of these were routine readiness drills.

A local police official told Reuters on Monday that security forces had detained around 500 people for questioning after searching approximately 1,000 homes and forests in India’s Kashmir region in search of militants.

The official added that at least nine homes had been demolished so far.

Political leaders in the state called for caution in the government’s counter-terrorism actions to ensure innocent people are not harmed following the bloodiest incident in India in the last two decades.

Jammu and Kashmir’s chief minister, Omar Abdullah, stated on X on Saturday, “It is time to avoid missteps that will alienate the public. Punish the culprits, show them no mercy, but do not allow innocent people to be harmed.”

The organization known as Kashmir Resistance, also referred to as The Resistance Front, stated in a message posted on X that it was “absolutely” not involved in last week’s attack, following an initial message claiming responsibility.

The group, seen as an offshoot of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, attributed the previous social media post claiming responsibility to a “cyber attack.”