Following a deadly attack on tourists that has significantly increased tensions between India and Pakistan, officials in India reported a brief exchange of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops along the heavily militarized border in the disputed Kashmir region on Friday.

India has characterized the massacre, in which 26 people, mostly Indian, were killed by gunmen, as a “terror attack” and has accused Pakistan of supporting it. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the attack near Pahalgam in India-controlled Kashmir, which was claimed by a previously unknown militant group called the Kashmir Resistance.

Amidst the heightened tensions, three Indian army officials stated that Pakistani soldiers fired at an Indian position in Kashmir late Thursday. These officials, who wished to remain anonymous, said that Indian soldiers responded, and no casualties were reported.

Pakistan declined to comment on the report.

Tensions rise

Tuesday’s attack in Kashmir marked the worst assault on civilians in the volatile region in recent years. Since then, tensions have escalated dangerously between India and Pakistan, who have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, a region divided between them but claimed by both in its entirety.

On Wednesday, India suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty that has endured two wars and closed the only functional land border crossing. The following day, India revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals, effective Sunday.

Pakistan responded strongly, denying any connection to the attack. They canceled visas for Indian nationals, closed their airspace to Indian-owned or operated airlines, and suspended all trade with India. Nationals from both countries began returning home through the Wagah border near Lahore on Friday.

Islamabad also cautioned that any Indian attempt to halt or divert the flow of water would be considered an “act of war.” The suspension of the water treaty could lead to water shortages in Pakistan, where some areas are already facing drought and reduced rainfall.

Pakistan has also threatened to suspend the Simla Agreement, a move with significant implications. This peace treaty, signed after the 1971 war, established the Line of Control, a heavily militarized de facto border dividing Kashmir.

The United Nations has called on India and Pakistan to “exercise maximum restraint and to ensure that the situation and the developments we’ve seen do not deteriorate any further.”

“Any issues between Pakistan and India, we believe can be and should be resolved peacefully, through meaningful, mutual engagement,” the UN statement said on Friday.

India and Pakistan each administer a portion of Kashmir. New Delhi considers all militancy there as terrorism backed by Pakistan, a claim Pakistan denies. Many Muslim Kashmiris view the militants as part of a homegrown freedom movement.

Residents and police in southern Kashmir reported that Indian soldiers used explosives to destroy the homes of two suspected militants accused of involvement in Tuesday’s attack. In the past, Indian troops have demolished homes as a form of punishment for militancy in Kashmir.

Authorities stated they are investigating two local men and two Pakistani nationals for their alleged involvement in the attack but have not provided further details or evidence.

“He left home three years ago. We haven’t seen him since and nothing was ever recovered from this house despite multiple raids,” said Afroza, the aunt of one of the local men accused, Asif Sheikh. The explosion partially damaged the house in Monghama village that she shares with Sheikh’s parents and two sisters, including blowing out its windows. It also shattered windowpanes of several other homes.

“Even if he had done the attack, why blow up the house of a poor family,” said Afroza, who like many women in Kashmir uses only one name, as she wailed.

A police official and two residents in Guree village reported that a house there was also targeted by soldiers. The official requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak with the media, while the villagers feared retaliation from authorities.

Protesters take to the streets

On Friday, hundreds of people gathered in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, to protest the suspension of the water-sharing treaty.

The demonstrators chanted slogans against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and burned his effigy before dispersing peacefully. Similar small rallies were held elsewhere.

Pakistan’s Senate condemned the attack, passing a resolution denouncing India’s attempt to link Islamabad to it and the suspension of the water treaty.

Hundreds of demonstrators also took to the streets in New Delhi, where most markets were closed in protest against the killings. They demanded action against Pakistan.

“Now our patience has run out,” said protester Surekha Sharma. “Now we want revenge for this.”