Photo: VCG

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire overnight across the Line of Control (LoC) in disputed Kashmir, multiple media outlets including the Guardian reported on Friday, after the killing of 25 Indian tourists and a Nepalese citizen in the disputed Indian-administered Kashmir on Tuesday.

The United Nations on Friday urged Pakistan and India “to exercise maximum restraint and to ensure that the situation and the developments we’ve seen do not deteriorate any further.”

“Any issues between Pakistan and India, we believe, can be and should be resolved peacefully, through meaningful, mutual engagement,” the UN stated, according to AP.

Tensions between the arch-rivals India and Pakistan have escalated rapidly after the Kashimir attack on Tuesday, prompting warnings of a return to conflict, the Guardian reported on Thursday.

According to AP, India immediately labelled it a “terror attack” and said it had “cross-border” links, blaming Pakistan for supporting it. Pakistan denied any involvement , AP reported.

On Wednesday, the Indian government announced several measures against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, closure of the border, and the expulsion of Pakistani personnel, Xinhua News Agency reported.

The Indian government on Thursday suspended all kinds of visas for Pakistani nationals and asked them to leave the country by April 27, according to the Times of India.

Al Jazeera reported on Thursday that Pakistan has announced a series of retaliatory diplomatic measures against India and demanded evidence to support the Indian government’s claims that Islamabad was involved in the Kashmir attack.

Xinhua, citing a statement from the Pakistani Prime Minister's Office on Thursday, reported that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting of the National Security Committee on Thursday. The committee expressed concern over the loss of tourists' lives in the incident, and unequivocally condemned all kinds of terrorism.

The statement added that in the absence of any credible investigation and verifiable evidence, India's attempts to link the attack with Pakistan are "reckless, irrational and illogical." 

“Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty … will be considered as an Act of War and responded with full force,” the statement noted. 
 
In response, Pakistan will close the Wagah Border Post, suspend specific visa facilities for Indian nationals, declare the Indian Defence, Naval and Air Advisors in Islamabad persona non grata, close Pakistan's airspace for all Indian airlines, and suspend all trade activities with India, the statement said.

Sky News reported Friday that Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that the Kashmir dispute could escalate into an "all-out war" with India. He stated that Pakistan would "respond in kind" to any attack from New Delhi. 


Global Times