Nuclear Armed India, Pakistan Clash In Kashmir After Deadly Attack

Nuclear Armed India, Pakistan Clash In Kashmir After Deadly Attack

 Stefan J. Bos

Tensions between nuclear-armed powers India and Pakistan rapidly escalated Friday with forces from both nations firing across their highly militarized frontier in Kashmir following a deadly attack that killed scores of tourists in the disputed Himalayan region.

The clashes came despite appeals from the United Nations for “maximum restraint” after at least 26 people were shot dead Tuesday in the picturesque tourist resort of Pahalgam by suspected militants.

It was the deadliest such attack in a quarter-century in Indian-administered Kashmir, setting off a chain of tit-for-tat moves by India and Pakistan despite concerns about their nuclear capabilities.

The brief overnight exchange of small-arms fire came as police in Kashmir announced they identified three suspected attackers affiliated with the militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba who were allegedly involved in Tuesday’s massacre of Indian tourists.

Indian authorities released their sketches, announcing a bounty of 2 million rupees (about $23,400) for information leading to their arrest.

Indian police named three suspected gunmen behind the attack, adding two are Pakistani citizens, and a third is a local Kashmiri man. Pakistan denies Indian claims that it played a role in the shootings.

A manhunt was underway in the densely forested mountains surrounding the attack site in southern Kashmir to find three and possibly four suspects involved in Tuesday’s killings.

MORE CLASHES

However, their efforts were complicated by the latest clashes with Syed Ashfaq Gilani, a government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, saying troops exchanged fire along the “line of control” that separates the two countries.

“There is post-to-post firing in Leepa Valley overnight. There is no firing on the civilian population. Life is normal. Schools are open,” added Gilani, a senior government official in the Jhelum Valley district, in published remarks.

India’s army confirmed there had been limited firing of small arms that it claimed had been initiated by Pakistan, adding it had been “effectively responded to.”

Three Indian army officials said Pakistani soldiers used small arms to fire at an Indian position. The officials said Indian soldiers retaliated, and no casualties were reported. There was no immediate comment from Pakistan, but it has repeatedly accused India of provoking an armed conflict.

There were no reports of casualties in Friday’s fighting but the latest tensions between India and Pakistan were due to add to pressure on minority Christians in the region, according to a Worthy News assessment. “A majority of the Christians in Kashmir are from a Muslim background and are already experiencing severe pressure from their community,” said Open Doors, a Christian advocacy group and charity.

While there were no immediate indications Friday that the countries would go beyond using conventional weapons, India and Pakistan came “close” to a “nuclear conflagration” in February 2019, according to former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Friday’s reported brief fighting in Kashmir came amid the peak tourist season, with hundreds of thousands holidaying in the region despite being racked by a three-decade armed rebellion.

Tuesday’s attack in Kashmir’s southern district of Anantnag prompted New Delhi to step up security, with teams of police and paramilitary troops rushing to the spot to evacuate wounded tourists and find the attackers.

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, along with the country’s top security brass, rushed to Kashmir, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi cut short a visit to Saudi Arabia to return to New Delhi, where he met officials to prepare India’s response.

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