Pakistan's leader said Saturday he was ready to defend the country after a deadly attack in India-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blames 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 Muslim-majority Kashmir for a quarter of a century.
"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, while Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged gunfire overnight for a second day running, the Indian army said Saturday.
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 the two sides had confirmed gunfire between their respective forces the previous night.
The United Nations has urged the neighbours, who have fought multiple wars in the past, to show "maximum restraint".
US President Donald Trump has downplayed the tensions, saying that the dispute will get "figured out, one way or another".
Pakistan open to neutral probe
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.
Armed opposition groups have waged an insurgency in India-administered 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 the region in their search and issued wanted posters with sketches of three men.
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".
India’s move to suspend the decades-old treaty after a deadly attack on Kashmir raises fears of escalating tensions with Pakistan, but can New Delhi really turn off the taps?
