The United States has said it has indications that Pakistan had started to act to crack down on incursions by militants across the border of Indian-controlled Kashmir. A US State Department spokesman, Mr Richard Boucher, said in a press briefing that instructions had been given in Pakistan to halt the incursions as demanded by India, the United States, and other nations, in the heat of the current South Asian crisis.
Earlier in the day, Indian and Pakistani forces fired mortars and artillery across their ceasefire line as international pressure mounted on the nuclear neighbours to avert war.
The shooting came after US President George W. Bush decided to send Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to the region next week to try to ease tensions.
Mr Bush had called on Pakistan to rein in Islamic militants launching raids across the Line of Control in Kashmir.
No deaths were reported in this morning’s violence.
India and Pakistan also exchanged routine small arms and heavy machine gun fire in other places along the international border and the ceasefire line that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.
The two countries have deployed about a million men on their border since a December attack on India's parliament New Delhi blamed on Pakistani-based militants fighting its rule in Kashmir.
Recent tensions were stoked by a May 14th raid on an army camp in Indian Kashmir.
New Delhi blamed Pakistan-based militants for that attack.
AFP,