India, Pakistan troops exchange fire again in Kashmir

Troops from Pakistan and India exchanged fire in disputed Kashmir for a third night in a row, officials said Sunday, as relations between the nuclear-armed rivals plunged to their lowest level in years, AFP reports.

India has accused Pakistan of supporting "cross-border terrorism" after gunmen carried out the worst attack on civilians in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir for a quarter of a century.

Islamabad has denied any involvement, calling attempts to link Pakistan to the attack "frivolous" and vowing to respond to any Indian action.

Indian security forces have launched a massive manhunt for those responsible for killing 26 men at a tourist hotspot in Pahalgam on April 22.

The Indian military said on Sunday there had been "unprovoked" firing of small arms "initiated by Pakistan" along the Line of Control that separates the two countries.

"(Our) own troops responded effectively with appropriate small arms fire," it added.

Pakistan has not yet confirmed the latest exchange of fire.

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.

India's federal home ministry handed over the attack probe to the National Investigation Agency, which focuses on counter-terrorism.

The agency was examining eyewitnesses, scrutinising entry and exit points, besides collecting forensic evidence.

"The eyewitnesses are being questioned in minute detail to piece together the sequence of events that led to one of the worst terror attacks in Kashmir," it said in a statement.