India-Pakistan border tensions flare amid Kashmir gunfire exchange

KATHMANDU: Tensions have escalated along the India-Pakistan border following reports of cross-border gunfire late Thursday night.

Citing three Indian army officials, the Associated Press reported that Pakistani troops fired small arms at an Indian checkpoint in Kashmir.

Al Jazeera also confirmed the incident, stating that security forces from both nations exchanged gunfire across the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border that separates Indian and Pakistani-administered Kashmir.

The clash comes in the wake of a deadly terrorist attack near Pahalgam, in the Baisaran Valley — often dubbed the “Mini Switzerland” of India.

That attack has further strained already fragile India-Pakistan relations.

According to Indian media, 27 people — including Sudip Neupane from Butwal, Nepal — were killed in the assault.

An additional 17 were reported injured.

Indian forces reportedly responded with retaliatory fire, as confirmed by the Associated Press. However, Pakistan has not officially commented on the incident.

During a press briefing, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said, “Until the army officially confirms the situation, I have no comments to offer.”

The Hindustan Times quoted Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who, in a televised interview, warned that India’s recent actions could potentially trigger a conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

India has accused Pakistan of supporting cross-border terrorism and has downgraded diplomatic ties with Islamabad. In response, Pakistan denied any involvement in the Pahalgam attack, calling it an “internal matter” of India.

The attack was claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF), a shadow outfit of the banned Pakistani militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

While the Jammu and Kashmir region has witnessed over three decades of insurgency, major assaults targeting tourists have remained rare in recent years.