India-Pakistan Exchange Gunfire Along LOC After Deadly Kashmir Attack, UN Urges Restraint
Following the most recent tragic incident in Kashmir’s Pahalgam town, India-Pakistani forces have engaged in gunfire along the Line of Control (LOC) dividing the two nations as the UN urges “maximum restraint” amid fears of a wider military escalation.
Since gaining independence in 1947, Kashmir has been split between India-Pakistan, each of whom claims the entire region yet controls different areas of it. This has resulted in ongoing tensions that have over time escalated into violence.
Al Jazeera was informed by Indian army sources on Friday that the shooting was started by the Pakistani side. Although he did not specify who initiated the exchange, a government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir acknowledged to the AFP news agency on Friday that forces engaged in gunfire.
Pakistani official Syed Ashfaq Gilani told AFP, “There was no firing on the civilian population.”
Al Jazeera’s Umar Mehraj, reporting from Indian-administered Kashmir, said two individuals were also injured in a second encounter near Bandipora, though it was unclear which section along the Line of Control the gunfight occurred.
On Tuesday, suspected rebels killed at least 26 people at a resort in Pahalgam, in the deadliest such attack in a quarter-century in Indian-administered Kashmir.
The attack was claimed in a statement by The Resistance Front (TRF), an organization thought to be a branch of the Lashkar-e-Taiba armed group based in Pakistan.
A reward of two million rupees ($23,500) has been offered by Indian police for information that results in the arrest of the three individuals who are members of the group, which the UN has branded as a “terrorist organization.” — India-Pakistani
India’s withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty and Pakistan’s suspension of a canal irrigation project and closure of its airspace to Indian airlines in response to charges that it was complicit in the attack have resulted from the deadly incident, which has since sparked a major diplomatic spat between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors, who have fought three wars, have never been worse than they are now after the tit-for-tat statements.
Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif vehemently refuted claims that Islamabad was involved in the strike in an interview with Al Jazeera late on Thursday.
He asserted that “blaming Pakistan won’t solve the problem” of Indian “occupation” in Kashmir.
Citing the LOC’s high level of security, he continued, “it is impossible for certain armed groups to infiltrate.”
General Upendra Dwivedi, the head of India’s army, is at Pahalgam on Friday to assess the region’s security setup.
Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India, had pledged to pursue the shooters “to the ends of the Earth.”
Mehraj of Al Jazeera, who is in Pahalgam, stated that since the fatal incident, security has been strengthened in the area.
Additionally, security forces are stepping up their efforts to suppress media outlets. He stated that hundreds of people are being held and interrogated over their connections to the incident.
Mehraj continued, “Residents are also afraid that they will be caught in the crossfire.”
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Shafqat Ali Khan, has stated that the nation is prepared to strike back if India violates its rights.
He declared, “The Pakistani army is still completely equipped and ready to protect its territorial integrity and sovereignty from any calamity.”
Ali Khan continued, “The Pakistani people are still dedicated to maintaining peace, but they will never permit anyone to violate their sovereignty, security, dignity, or inalienable rights.”
The escalating conflict has sparked global concern, with several international observers urging both nations to de-escalate. Analysts warn that continued violence in the volatile region could destabilize South Asia. Meanwhile, civilians near the LOC remain in fear as authorities tighten security measures and conduct raids to prevent further militant activity.
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