Pakistani and Indian troops traded cross-border hearth in disputed Kashmir for a 3rd consecutive night time, officers mentioned Sunday, amid a pointy deterioration in relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
India has accused Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” after gunmen killed 26 folks within the worst assault on civilians in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir for 1 / 4 of a century.
Islamabad has denied any involvement, calling makes an attempt to hyperlink Pakistan to the assault “frivolous” and vowing to answer any Indian motion.
The Indian army on Sunday held naval drills – releasing photos of warships firing missiles – whereas the nation’s safety forces pressed on with their hunt for these behind the April 22 assault at a vacationer hotspot in Pahalgam.
The army blamed Pakistan for the “unprovoked” firing of small arms alongside Kashmir’s Line of Control that separates the 2 nations.
“(Our) own troops responded effectively with appropriate small arms fire,” it mentioned of the most recent incident, which has not been reported by Pakistan.
Indian police have issued wished posters for 3 males – two Pakistanis and an Indian – who they are saying are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a U.N.-designated terrorist group.
India’s federal Home Ministry has handed over the assault probe to the National Investigation Agency, which focuses on counterterrorism.
“The eyewitnesses are being questioned in minute detail to piece together the sequence of events that led to one of the worst terror attacks in Kashmir,” an company assertion mentioned Sunday.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mentioned Saturday the nation was “open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation” into the assault.
Indian naval workout routines
India’s navy, in the meantime, mentioned it carried out workout routines to “revalidate and demonstrate readiness of platforms, systems and crew for long-range precision offensive strike,” with out detailing the place the drills occurred.
The Indian Express newspaper Sunday quoted a high authorities supply as saying “there will be military retaliation” and officers “are discussing the nature of the strike.”
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. Both declare the territory in full however govern separate parts of it.
Rebel teams have waged an insurgency in India-administered Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.
India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated Sunday his pledge that the Pahalgam victims “will get justice.”
“Terrorists and their patrons want Kashmir to be destroyed again, that is why such a big conspiracy was hatched,” he mentioned in his month-to-month radio tackle to the nation.
On Saturday, troopers in Indian-administered Kashmir bombed the household dwelling of one of many Pahalgam suspects.
The home of Farooq Ahmad Tadwa was destroyed by authorities in Kupwara district, considered one of a collection of demolitions concentrating on the homes of alleged gunmen.
So far, 9 homes belonging to the suspected gunmen have been bombed for the reason that Pahalgam assault, a police official instructed AFP on Sunday on situation of anonymity.
In the aftermath of the assault, New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, introduced the closure of the primary land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and withdrew visas for Pakistanis.
In response, Islamabad has ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and army advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals, except for Sikh pilgrims and shutting the primary border crossing from its aspect.
The United Nations has urged the archrivals to point out “maximum restraint” in order that points will be “resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement.”
Pahalgam marks a dramatic shift in current Kashmiri insurgent assaults, which generally goal Indian safety forces.
In 2019, a suicide assault killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered Indian air strikes inside Pakistan, bringing the nations to the brink of all-out struggle.
Source: www.dailysabah.com