Pahalgam attackers must be 'brought to justice,' India says

A leading Muslim scholar in India, Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, has called on Indian Muslims to hold prayers for national unity on Friday.

Maulana Razvi is the president of the All India Jamaat

"I urge all Indian Muslims, especially the imams of mosques, to organize a special dua [a special type of prayer in Islam] after Friday prayers for the country’s unity and integrity, and to pray for the defeat of its enemies," he said, according to a statement cited by the Press Trust of India.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said he held a phone call with his US counterpart Pete Hegseth just hours after the Indian and US foreign ministers spoke earlier in the day.

Singh said that Hegseth expressed solidarity with India and said that the US supported India's right to defend itself, according to the Indian Express.

There was no immediate comment from Hegseth's office.

The United States has been a major backer of both Pakistan and India, both of which are important strategic countries and nuclear powers.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been tense since the attack that killed 26 people in the disputed region of Kashmir. China, which has close links with both countries, has asked them to maintain regional peace and stability.

The Instagram accounts of several popular Pakistani artists were blocked in India, Indian media outlets reported, amid tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Accounts including those of actor Mahira Khan, YouTuber Hania Aamir and singer and actor Ali Zafar were all blocked, India's NDTV said.

The account of Pakistan's Olympic javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem has also been blocked.

For users accessing the accounts from India, Instagram showed the message: "This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content."

The move follows the Indian ban on 16 accounts of Pakistani YouTubers for allegedly spreading sensitive content.

Pakistan appointed its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Mohammad Asim Malik as the new National Security Advisor, Pakistani media reported. 

The position comes on top of Malik's 2024 appointment as Director General of the ISI. 

The website of Pakistan's Tribune said the fresh appointment places him at "the center of Pakistan’s national security policy" amid heightened tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.

The Indian army said their troops exchanged fire with Pakistani soldiers along the Line of Control, Kashmir's de facto border, for the seventh night in a row.

No casualties were reported, the Indian army added.

"During the night... Pakistan Army posts initiated unprovoked small-arms fire across the Line of Control opposite Kupwara, Uri and Akhnoor," the army said in a statement. "These were responded [to] proportionately by the Indian Army."

Pakistan has yet to officially confirm the exchange of fire.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, urging them to deescalate tensions. 

Rubio reaffirmed Washington's "commitment to cooperation with India against terrorism," US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

Jaishankar stressed that the "perpetrators, backers and planners" of the attack "must be brought to justice."

The US top diplomat also urged Pakistan to cooperate with the investigation into the "unconscionable" attack in Pahalgam. 

Sharif rejected the Indian allegations and "urged the US to impress upon India to dial down the rhetoric and act responsibly," according to a statement from his office.

"Both leaders reaffirmed their continued commitment to holding terrorists accountable for their heinous acts of violence," Bruce said.

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday said those who planned and carried out the attack in Indian-administered Kashmir which left 26 killed, "must be brought to justice."

"[The attack's] perpetrators, backers and planners must be brought to justice," he said on X, soon after speaking to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

India has accused Pakistan of cross-border terrorism in Kashmir, which Islamabad denies.

Earlier on Tuesday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reportedly given the military "complete operational freedom" to retaliate after a closed-door meeting. 

On April 22, gunmen killed 26 people, most of whom were tourists, near a resort close to the mountain town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir.

The attack prompted New Delhi and Islamabad to downgrade diplomatic ties, and India suspended a key water-sharing treaty with Pakistan.

The following days have seen cross-border firing from both sides, with no reported casualties, India says.

Pakistani intelligence has said India is planning a military attack, and India has vowed to punish the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack.

There has been international pressure on New Delhi and Islamabad to de-escalate tensions, including from the UN, US and China.