[🇵🇰] Everything about latest Kashmir attack

[Krishna with Flute]

Pakistan ready to 'defend sovereignty' after India threats

Pakistan's leader announced his readiness to defend the country on Saturday, after New Delhi blamed a deadly attack in Indian-run Kashmir on Islamabad, sending already fraught relations into a tailspin with soldiers exchanging gunfire across their contested frontier.

en.prothomalo.com

Kashmir attack
Pakistan ready to 'defend sovereignty' after India threats
AFP Islamabad
Updated: 26 Apr 2025, 18: 29

View attachment 16874

Pakistan's former Prime Minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party Shehbaz Sharif AFP file photo

Pakistan's leader announced his readiness to defend the country on Saturday, after New Delhi blamed a deadly attack in Indian-run Kashmir on Islamabad, sending already fraught relations into a tailspin with soldiers exchanging gunfire across their contested frontier.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also called for a "neutral investigation", with India accusing Pakistan of supporting "cross-border terrorism" after gunmen carried out the worst attack on civilians in Kashmir for a quarter of a century.

Islamabad denies involvement in the 22 April attack on tourists in Pahalgam, where a gang of gunmen killed 26 men.

"Our valiant armed forces remain fully capable and prepared to defend the country's sovereignty," Sharif said at a military ceremony in Abbottabad.

Both sides have imposed a slew of diplomatic measures, and exchanged gunfire in Kashmir two times in as many days.

India's army said "unprovoked" small arms firing was carried out by "multiple" Pakistan army posts overnight.

"Indian troops responded appropriately with small arms," it said in a statement, adding that no casualties were reported.

There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan, but both sides had confirmed gunfire between their respective forces the previous night.

The United Nations has urged the neighbours, which have fought multiple wars, to show "maximum restraint".

Iran's foreign ministry said Saturday that Tehran has offered to play mediator, a day after a senior Saudi official said Riyadh was trying to "prevent an escalation".

US President Donald Trump has downplayed the tensions, saying that the dispute will get "figured out, one way or another".

'Track and punish'

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. Both claim the territory in full but govern separate portions of it.

Rebel groups have waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.

Indian security forces have launched a giant manhunt for those responsible for the attack in Pahalgam, with police naming two Pakistani nationals among the fugitives.

Indian police say three of the gunmen are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organisation, and issued a bounty for their arrest.

Indian troops blew up homes in Kashmir in their search and issued wanted posters with sketches of three men.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his country would "track and punish every terrorist and their backer", vowing to "pursue them to the ends of the Earth".

Pakistan's Sharif said the country was "open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation" in the attack.

A day after the attack, New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties, and withdrew visas for Pakistanis.

Islamabad in response ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals -- with the exception of Sikh pilgrims -- and closing the main border crossing from its side.

Pakistan also warned that any attempt by India to stop water supplies from the Indus River would be an "act of war".

At the frontier, created at the end of British rule when the sub-continent was partitioned into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, distraught citizens crossed.

The measures have abruptly ended rare visits to see relatives separated for generations by the border.

Among those at the Wagah border leaving Pakistan was 39-year-old Ghaffar Musafir, who was returning to his home in Indian-administered Kashmir.

"I'm Indian. I love India, but my family is here," he said. "And it's not like I hate Pakistan. I love Pakistan too."

Pahalgam marks a dramatic shift in recent Kashmiri rebel attacks, which typically target Indian security forces.

Experts say that an Indian military response may still be in the pipeline.

In 2019, a suicide attack killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered Indian air strikes inside Pakistan, bringing the countries to the brink of all-out war.​

We shall know very shortly whether Pakistan is able to defend itself or not.

 

[Saif]

India and Pakistan troops exchange fire in Kashmir for the third day

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire in disputed Kashmir for a third night in a row, officials said Sunday, as relations between the nuclear-armed rivals plunged to their lowest level in years.

en.prothomalo.com

India and Pakistan troops exchange fire in Kashmir for the third day
AFP Srinagar
Updated: 27 Apr 2025, 13: 11

An Indian Border Security Force (BSF) personnel stands guard as Pakistani citizens return to their country through the India-Pakistan Attari-Wagah border post, about 35kms from Amritsar on 26 April, 2025, after New Delhi withdrew visas for Pakistanis and Islamabad in response cancelled visas of Indian nationals. AFP

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire in disputed Kashmir for a third night in a row, officials said Sunday, as relations between the nuclear-armed rivals plunged to their lowest level in years.

India has accused Pakistan of supporting "cross-border terrorism" after gunmen carried out the worst attack on civilians in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir for a quarter of a century.

Islamabad has denied any involvement, calling attempts to link Pakistan to the attack "frivolous" and vowing to respond to any Indian action.

Indian security forces have launched a massive manhunt for those responsible for killing 26 men at a tourist hotspot in Pahalgam on 22 April.

The Indian military said on Sunday there had been "unprovoked" firing of small arms "initiated by Pakistan" along the Line of Control that separates the two countries.

"(Our) own troops responded effectively with appropriate small arms fire," it added. Pakistan has not yet confirmed the latest exchange of fire.

Indian police have issued wanted posters for three men -- two Pakistanis and an Indian -- who they say are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organisation.

India's federal home ministry handed over the attack probe to the National Investigation Agency, which focuses on counter-terrorism.

The agency was examining eyewitnesses, scrutinising entry and exit points, besides collecting forensic evidence.

"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," it said in a statement.

Houses bombed

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. Both claim the territory in full but govern separate portions of it.

Rebel groups have waged an insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.

On Saturday, soldiers in Indian-administered Kashmir bombed the family home of one of the Pahalgam suspects.

The house of Farooq Ahmad Tadwa was destroyed by authorities in Kupwara district, one of a series of demolitions targeting houses of alleged militants.

So far nine houses belonging to militants have been bombed since the Pahalgam attack, a police official told AFP on Sunday on condition of anonymity.

In the aftermath of the Kashmir attack, New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties, and withdrew visas for Pakistanis.

In response, Islamabad has ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals -- with the exception of Sikh pilgrims -- and closing the main border crossing from its side.

The United Nations has urged the arch-rivals to show "maximum restraint" so that issues can be "resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement".

Pahalgam marks a dramatic shift in recent Kashmiri rebel attacks, which typically target Indian security forces. Analysts say that an Indian military response may still be in the pipeline.

"There will be military retaliation and we are prepared. We are discussing the nature of the strike," the Indian Express newspaper quoted a top government source as saying on Sunday.

In 2019, a suicide attack killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered Indian air strikes inside Pakistan, bringing the countries to the brink of all-out war.​

 

[Saif]

Pakistan defence minister says military incursion by India is imminent

Pakistan's defence minister said on Monday that a military incursion by neighbouring India was imminent in the aftermath of a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir last week, as tensions rise between the two nuclear-armed nations. The militant attack killed 26 people and

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Pakistan defence minister says military incursion by India is imminent
REUTERS
Published :
Apr 28, 2025 20:57
Updated :
Apr 28, 2025 20:57

A Pakistan flag is seen on Pakistan Rangers' Post near the Attari-Wagah border crossing near Amritsar, India, April 26, 2025. India has suspended visa services to Pakistani nationals "with immediate effect" following an attack on tourists near Pahalgam in south Kashmir. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis

Pakistan's defence minister said on Monday that a military incursion by neighbouring India was imminent in the aftermath of a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir last week, as tensions rise between the two nuclear-armed nations.

The militant attack killed 26 people and triggered outrage in Hindu-majority India, along with calls for action against Muslim-majority Pakistan. India accuses Pakistan of backing militancy in Kashmir, a region both claim and have fought two wars over.

"We have reinforced our forces because it is something which is imminent now. So in that situation some strategic decisions have to be taken, so those decisions have been taken," Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told Reuters in an interview at his office in Islamabad.

Asif said India's rhetoric was ramping up and that Pakistan's military had briefed the government on the possibility of an Indian attack. He did not go into further details on his reasons for thinking an incursion was imminent.

After the Kashmir attack, India identified two suspected militants as Pakistani. Islamabad has denied any role and called for a neutral investigation.

Asif said Pakistan was on high alert and that it would only use its arsenal of nuclear weapons if "there is a direct threat to our existence".​

 

[Saif]

China urges India, Pakistan to exercise restraint

China on Monday urged India and Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ as the two countries reportedly exchanged fire at the Line of Control for a fourth night in a row in the wake of a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, reports DAWN.com.

www.newagebd.net

PAHALGAM ATTACK

China urges India, Pakistan to exercise restraint
New Age Desk 28 April, 2025, 23:59

China on Monday urged India and Pakistan to ‘exercise restraint’ as the two countries reportedly exchanged fire at the Line of Control for a fourth night in a row in the wake of a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, reports DAWN.com.

The April 22 attack killed 26 people, mostly tourists, and was one of the deadliest armed attacks in the disputed Himalayan region since 2000. Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front, said it ‘unequivocally’ denied involvement in the attack, after an initial message that claimed responsibility.

India, without offering any evidence, has implied cross-border linkages of the attackers, while Pakistan has strongly denied any involvement. Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for a neutral probe into the incident.

‘China hopes that the two sides will exercise restraint, meet each other halfway, properly handle relevant differences through dialogue and consultation and jointly maintain regional peace and stability,’ foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

‘China welcomes all measures that will help cool down the situation,’ Jiakun told a regular press briefing.

The statement came after Pakistan and India reportedly exchanged gunfire for a fourth night in a row across the LoC, after four years of relative calm.

On Thursday, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi vowed to pursue the attackers to the ‘ends of the earth’ and said that those who planned and carried out the attack ‘will be punished beyond their imagination’.

Calls have also grown from Indian politicians and others for military action against Pakistan.

Defence minister Khawaja Asif on Friday said Pakistan was ‘ready to cooperate’ in an international probe into the Pahalgam attack, but also warned of an ‘all-out war’ if India carried out any attack on Pakistan.

The United Nations has urged the arch-rivals to show ‘maximum restraint’ so that issues can be ‘resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement’.

US in touch with India and Pakistan, urges work toward ‘responsible solution’

China’s call for restraint added to the United States’ statement from Sunday, urging India and Pakistan to work towards what it called a ‘responsible solution’, as Washington said it was in touch with both countries.

‘This is an evolving situation and we are monitoring developments closely. We have been in touch with the governments of India and Pakistan at multiple levels,’ a US State Department spokesperson told Reuters in an emailed statement.

‘The United States encourages all parties to work together towards a responsible resolution,’ the spokesperson added.

The State Department spokesperson also said Washington ‘stands with India and strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Pahalgam’, reiterating comments similar to recent ones made by US president Donald Trump and vice president JD Vance.

In public, the US government has expressed support for India after the attack but has not criticised Pakistan. While Saudi Arabia and Iran have offered to mediate, Trump last week said he was confident that India and Pakistan would ‘get it figured out’.

India is an increasingly important US partner as Washington aims to counter China’s rising influence in Asia while Pakistan remains a US ally, even as its importance for Washington has diminished after the 2021 US withdrawal from neighbouring Afghanistan.

Michael Kugelman, a Washington-based South Asia analyst and writer for the Foreign Policy magazine, said India is now a much closer US partner than Pakistan.

‘This may worry Islamabad that if India retaliates militarily, the US may sympathise with its counterterrorism imperatives and not try to stand in the way,’ Kugelman told Reuters.

Kugelman also said that given Washington’s involvement and on-going diplomatic efforts in Russia’s war in Ukraine and Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, the Trump administration is ‘dealing with a lot on its global plate’ and may leave India and Pakistan on their own, at least in the early days of the tensions.

Hussain Haqqani, a former Pakistan ambassador to the US and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute think tank, also said that there seemed to be no US appetite to calm the situation at this moment.​