Pakistan and India troops exchange fire in Kashmir

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire overnight across the Line of Control in disputed Kashmir, officials said Friday, after the United Nations urged the neighbouring rivals to show "maximum restraint" following a deadly shooting in the region.

Syed Ashfaq Gilani, a government official in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, told AFP on Friday that troops had exchanged fire along the Line of Control (LOC) that splits the parts of the region administered separately by the two countries.

"There was no firing on the civilian population," he added.

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

On Thursday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York that issues between the countries "can be and should be resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement".

"We very much appeal to both the governments... to exercise maximum restraint, and to ensure that the situation and the developments we've seen do not deteriorate any further," he said.

Islamabad denies involvement in attack

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to hunt down the gunmen responsible for killing 26 civilians at the popular tourist site of Pahalgam, after Indian police identified two of the three fugitive gunmen as Pakistani.

"I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer," Modi said, in his first speech since Tuesday's attack in the Himalayan region.

Denying any involvement, Islamabad called attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack "frivolous" and vowed to respond to any Indian action.

"Any threat to Pakistan's sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains," a statement said, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a rare National Security Committee with top military chiefs.

The Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the high-altitude territory in full but governing separate portions of it. Rebel groups have waged an insurgency in India-administered Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.

In recent weeks, the Modi government has cracked down on Muslim organisations, books, and schools, causing unrest across the region.

Indian security forces have launched a massive manhunt in Kashmir for the Pahalgam attackers, with more than 1,500 people arrested in Indian-administered Kashmir since the shooting.