NEW DELHI: Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged gunfire overnight along the Line of Control (LOC) that separates the two countries in contested Kashmir for a second day running, the Indian army said Saturday. India’s army said “unprovoked” small arms firing was carried out by “multiple” Pakistan army posts “all across the Line of Control in Kashmir” overnight from Friday to Saturday. “Indian troops responded appropriately with small arms,” it said in a statement. “No casualties reported.” There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan, but the two sides had confirmed gunfire between their respective forces the previous night.

Relations between the nuclear-armed rivals have plunged to their lowest level in years. New Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting “cross-border terrorism” after gunmen on Tuesday killed 26 men in the worst attack on civilians in India-run Kashmir for a quarter of a century. Islamabad denies involvement, and calls attempts to link Pakistan to the attack at Pahalgam “frivolous”. The United Nations has urged the neighbours, who have fought multiple wars in the past, to show “maximum restraint”.

US President Donald Trump has downplayed the tensions, saying that the dispute will get “figured out, one way or another”. Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. Both claim the territory in full but govern separate portions of it. Rebel groups have waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.

A neutral probe

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s leader said his nation was open to a neutral investigation on Saturday into a deadly attack in Indian-run Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Islamabad, and that has sent fraught relations into a tailspin with soldiers exchanging gunfire across their contested frontier. Islamabad denies involvement in the April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam, where a gang of gunmen killed 26 men in the worst attack on civilians in Kashmir for a quarter of a century. But India is adamant in it is accusation that Pakistan is supporting “cross-border terrorism”.

Indian police have issued wanted posters for three men — two Pakistanis and an Indian — who they say are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organization. Rejecting Indian claims, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said the country was “open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation” into the attack. Indian security forces have launched a giant manhunt for those responsible for the attack in Pahalgam, blowing up homes in Kashmir of Indian citizens suspected to be linked to the attack. Both sides have imposed a slew of diplomatic measures, and exchanged gunfire in Kashmir two times in as many days.

India’s army said “unprovoked” small arms firing was carried out by “multiple” Pakistan army posts overnight. “Indian troops responded appropriately with small arms,” it said in a statement, adding that no casualties were reported. There was no confirmation from Pakistan, but both sides had confirmed gunfire between their respective forces the previous night. “Our valiant armed forces remain fully capable and prepared to defend the country’s sovereignty,” Sharif said at a military ceremony in Abbottabad. India’s information ministry on Saturday warned broadcasters to “refrain from showing live coverage of defence operations” in the “interest of national security”, and referencing the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan. The United Nations has urged the neighbours, which have fought multiple wars, to show “maximum restraint”.

Saudi seeks to defuse tension

Saudi Arabia is trying to defuse tensions between India and Pakistan, after a deadly attack in the disputed Kashmir region, a senior Saudi official told AFP. Twenty-six male tourists were killed in Tuesday’s attack in Pahalgam, prompting tit-for-tat retaliatory measures by the two nuclear-armed neighbors. New Delhi blames Islamabad for the attack. Pakistan has denied any role. Troops exchanged fire across the Line of Control in Kashmir, prompting the United Nations to urge both sides to show “maximum restraint”. “The Kingdom is undertaking efforts to prevent an escalation between India and Pakistan,” the senior Saudi official said, on condition of anonymity. “The two countries are allies of Saudi Arabia and we do not want the situation to get out of control.” Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan has held separate phone calls with his Indian and Pakistani counterparts, his office said on Friday. 

India blows up homes

In another development, soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir on Friday blew up the family homes of two men who police allege were among a gang that carried out the region’s deadliest attack against civilians for decades. Indian security forces have launched a giant manhunt for those responsible for killing 26 men in Pahalgam on Tuesday. Police say they are members of the Pakistani-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), designated a terrorist organisation by the United Nations. They have issued wanted posters with sketches of three men: Indian national Adil Hussain Thoker, as well as Pakistani citizens Ali Bhai and Hashim Musa. They are also searching for Indian citizen Ashif Sheikh.

Members of the two Indian fugitives’ immediate families were detained for questioning after the attack, the officer and their relatives said. Sheikh’s sister Yasmeena said soldiers cordoned off the area around the house, in Kashmir’s southern Tral area, overnight from Thursday to Friday. “One soldier climbed over the mud compound wall of our home, and climbed back after a while,” said Yasmeena, who gave only one name. “After some time, a big frightening blast brought the house down. Everything inside is destroyed,” she said, adding that no one was inside at the time. — Agencies