Indian and Pakistani forces exchanged fire along the Line of Control (LoC) following a deadly attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam, prompting UN calls for “maximum restraint” amid fears of broader military escalation.
Since 1947, India and Pakistan have both claimed Kashmir, controlling different regions, with recurring violence fueling their ongoing rivalry.
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Indian military stated that Pakistan initiated the gunfire, while a Pakistani official confirmed the exchange but did not specify who started it. He added that civilians were not targeted.
The exact location of the clash remains unclear, though Al Jazeera reported two injuries in a separate incident in Bandipora.
Earlier in the week, suspected militants killed 26 people at a resort in Pahalgam—the deadliest attack in the region in 25 years. The Resistance Front (TRF), linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility.
Indian authorities have announced a ₹2 million ($23,500) reward for leads on three TRF suspects, branding the group a UN-listed terrorist organisation.
The attack has triggered a diplomatic fallout: India withdrew from the Indus Waters Treaty, while Pakistan halted an irrigation project and closed its airspace to Indian flights. These moves have further strained ties between the two nuclear-armed rivals, bringing relations to a new low.
