India Pakistan Kashmir gunfire incidents have escalated sharply after a deadly attack claimed several lives in the disputed region. On Friday, both sides exchanged heavy fire across the Line of Control (LoC), further fueling already intense tensions…
Following the most recent tragic incident in Kashmir’s Pahalgam town, Indian and 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 and 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.
India Pakistan Kashmir gunfire tensions escalated further on Friday. Indian army sources told Al Jazeera that the Pakistani side initiated the shooting. Meanwhile, a government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir confirmed to AFP news agency that troops exchanged fire, although they did not specify who started the exchange.
India Pakistan Kashmir gunfire tensions escalated further on Friday. Indian army sources told Al Jazeera that the Pakistani side initiated the shooting. Meanwhile, a government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir confirmed to AFP news agency that troops exchanged fire, although they did not specify who started the exchange.
“There was no firing on the civilian population,” Syed Ashfaq Gilani, a Pakistani official, told AFP, amid the ongoing India Pakistan Kashmir gunfire tensions.
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.
Amid the ongoing India Pakistan Kashmir gunfire tensions, suspected rebels killed at least 26 people on Tuesday at a resort in Pahalgam, marking 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.
In the backdrop of the escalating India Pakistan Kashmir gunfire tensions, Indian police have announced a two-million-rupee ($23,500) reward for information leading to the arrest of three suspects linked to a UN-designated “terrorist organisation”.
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.
India Pakistan Kashmir Gunfire: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Denies Involvement in Attack
Speaking amid heightened India Pakistan Kashmir gunfire tensions, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif strongly denied Islamabad’s involvement in the attack during an interview with Al Jazeera late on Thursday.
He asserted that “blaming Pakistan won’t solve the problem” of Indian “occupation” in Kashmir.
He went on to say, “The LOC is heavily guarded, so it cannot be possible for some 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.
Amid the ongoing India Pakistan Kashmir gunfire tensions, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to hunt down the gunmen “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.”
As India Pakistan Kashmir gunfire tensions continue to rise, Ali Khan stated, “The Pakistani nation remains committed to peace but will never allow anyone to transgress its sovereignty, security, dignity, and their inalienable rights.”
