Pakistan ready for 'neutral probe' into Kashmir attack after India threats, says PM Shahbaz

Pakistan's leader said his nation was open to a neutral investigation on Saturday into a deadly attack in  Kashmir that New Delhi blames on Islamabad, and that has sent fraught relations into a tailspin with soldiers exchanging gunfire across their contested frontier.

Islamabad denies involvement in the April 22 attack on tourists in Pahalgam, where a gang of gunmen killed 26 men in the worst attack on civilians in Kashmir for a quarter of a century. But India is adamant in it is accusation that Pakistan is supporting "cross-border terrorism."

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.

Rejecting Indian claims, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Saturday said the country was "open to participating in any neutral, transparent and credible investigation" into the attack.

An officer of the Border Security Force checks the passports of Pakistani citizens as they prepare to leave India at the Attari-Wagah border crossing near Amritsar. Reuters

Indian security forces have launched a giant manhunt for those responsible for the attack in Pahalgam, blowing up homes in Kashmir of Indian citizens suspected to be linked to the attack.

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 confirmation from Pakistan, but both sides had confirmed gunfire between their respective forces the previous night.

"Our valiant armed forces remain fully capable and prepared to defend the country's sovereignty," Shahbaz said at a military ceremony in Abbottabad district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

An Indian Border Security Force personnel stands guard as Pakistani citizens return to their country through Wagah border. AFP

India's information ministry on Saturday warned broadcasters to "refrain from showing live coverage of defence operations" in the "interest of national security," and referencing the 1999 Kargil conflict with Pakistan.

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

Iran's foreign ministry said on 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."

Agence France-Presse