Pakistan Says It Shot Down Indian Drone along Kashmir Border

TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025,  after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025, after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
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Pakistan Says It Shot Down Indian Drone along Kashmir Border

TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025,  after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)
TOPSHOT - An Indian citizen returns from Pakistan through the India-Pakistan Wagah border post, about 35 km from Amritsar on April 28, 2025, after Islamabad revoked visas of Indian nationals in response to New Delhi's withdrawal of visas for Pakistanis. (Photo by Narinder NANU / AFP)

Pakistan's military shot down an Indian drone along the de facto Kashmir border, state radio in Islamabad reported on Tuesday, a week after the deadliest attack on civilians in the contested region in years.

The Indian army also said that both sides exchanged fire for a fifth straight night along the Line of Control (LoC), a heavily fortified zone of high-altitude Himalayan outposts, AFP said.

There was no immediate confirmation from Pakistan on the exchange of fire but state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported that the military had shot down an Indian "quadcopter", calling it a violation of its airspace.

Relations between the nuclear-armed neighbors have plummeted after India accused Pakistan of backing an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 in which 26 men were killed.

Islamabad has rejected the charge and both countries have since exchanged gunfire in Kashmir, diplomatic barbs, expelled citizens and ordered the border shut.

The unmanned Indian aircraft had attempted to conduct surveillance along the LoC in the Manawar Sector of the Bhimber area, the Radio Pakistan report said.

It did not say when the incident happened. There was no comment from New Delhi.

India said the "Pakistan Army resorted to unprovoked small arms firing across the Line of Control" overnight Monday to Tuesday. The gunfire took place in areas opposite Kupwara and Baramulla districts, as well as in the Akhnoor sector, it said.

The Indian army said its troops had "responded in a measured and effective manner to the provocation". There were no reports of casualties.

India has said Tuesday is the deadline for Pakistani citizens to leave.

'Exercise restraint'

Analysts say they fear bellicose statements will escalate into possible military action.

Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.

Rebels in the Indian-run area have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan.

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 organization.

They have announced a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man's arrest and carried out sweeping detentions seeking anyone suspected of links to the killers.

The United Nations has urged the arch-rivals to show "maximum restraint", while China, which shares a border with both India and Pakistan, on Tuesday repeated its call on both sides to "exercise restraint".

"Both India and Pakistan are important countries in South Asia. Their harmonious coexistence is crucial to the peace, stability and development of the region," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

US President Donald Trump downplayed tensions, saying on Friday the dispute will get "figured out, one way or another".



Indian Army Reports 'First Calm Night' after Kashmir Truce with Pakistan Holds

A Pakistani security official stand guard at the scene of a suicide bomb blast targeting a vehicle of police in Peshawar, Pakistan, 11 May 2025. EPA/BILAWAL ARBAB
A Pakistani security official stand guard at the scene of a suicide bomb blast targeting a vehicle of police in Peshawar, Pakistan, 11 May 2025. EPA/BILAWAL ARBAB
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Indian Army Reports 'First Calm Night' after Kashmir Truce with Pakistan Holds

A Pakistani security official stand guard at the scene of a suicide bomb blast targeting a vehicle of police in Peshawar, Pakistan, 11 May 2025. EPA/BILAWAL ARBAB
A Pakistani security official stand guard at the scene of a suicide bomb blast targeting a vehicle of police in Peshawar, Pakistan, 11 May 2025. EPA/BILAWAL ARBAB

The frontier between arch-foes India and Pakistan was peaceful and had the "first calm night in recent days", the Indian army said Monday, after a surprise weekend ceasefire.

The truce was agreed to on Saturday after four days of missile, drone and artillery attacks between the two countries which killed at least 60 people and sent thousands fleeing, reported AFP.

It was the worst violence since the nuclear-armed rivals' last open conflict in 1999 and sent global shudders that it could spiral into full-blown war.

There were initial doubts as the two sides accused each other of breaching the ceasefire just hours after it was unexpectedly announced by US President Donald Trump on social media.

"The night remained largely peaceful across... Kashmir and other areas along the international border," the Indian army said.

"No incidents have been reported, marking the first calm night in recent days," the statement added.

It was also the second straight night without gunfire or shelling at Poonch, the frontier town in the part of divided Kashmir administered by India.

Poonch was one of the worst-hit regions in the latest conflict, with at least 12 residents killed and most of the estimated 60,000 residents fleeing their homes.

On Sunday, people started trickling back to the town, although many still remained worried that the ceasefire would not last.

The alarming spiral towards all-out conflict began before dawn on Wednesday, when India launched missile attacks destroying what it called "terrorist camps" in the Pakistani part of Kashmir.

This followed an April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which killed 26 civilians.

India accused Pakistan of backing the attack but Islamabad denied involvement and immediately responded to the strikes with heavy artillery fire.

It claimed to have downed five Indian fighter jets -- something New Delhi has not commented on.

Militants have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government revoked the region's limited autonomy and took it under direct rule from New Delhi.

Divided Muslim-majority Kashmir is claimed in full by both countries, who have fought several wars over the territory since their independence from Britain in 1947.