Indian border guards kill 2 on border with Pakistan, raising tensions

Lahore, Pakistan (AP) — Indian border guards shot and killed two Pakistani citizens near the border in Punjab province on Friday, Pakistani and Indian media reported, heightening tensions between the two neighboring countries a year and a half after they narrowly avoided war in disputed Kashmir.

Pakistan Television, quoting Pakistani security sources, stated that three unarmed civilians from the Kasur district in eastern Pakistan had crossed a border marker when Indian Border Security Force personnel opened fire. Two individuals were killed and another wounded, according to the report. The Indian side provided a conflicting account, suggesting the men were suspected of attempting to enter India.

The incident occurred a day after Pakistan's military contradicted India's assertion that their security forces had killed a senior commander from the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan presented a man they claimed was the dead militant.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been fraught with conflict since their independence from British rule in 1947, with two wars fought over Kashmir, the Himalayan region disputed between the two nuclear-armed nations. In April 2025, gunmen in Indian-controlled Kashmir killed 26 tourists, a claim India blamed on Pakistan. This event led to a series of escalating clashes, including missile and drone strikes, bringing the two countries to their most serious military confrontation in decades.

While skirmishes along the disputed border in Kashmir have been frequent in recent years, the international border in Punjab has remained relatively calm.