Indian PM musters support for military action in Kashmir

India'S Prime Minister met the opposition leader yesterday amid growing political support for military action against Pakistan, as violence killed five people in disputed Kashmir and cross-border shooting drove thousands from their homes.

Delhi accuses Islamabad of sponsoring militants who have increased their attacks in Kashmir, the Himalayan region that has sparked two past wars between India and Pakistan.

Suspected Islamic guerrillas fired at a joint Indian Army-paramilitary camp 95 miles north of Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu-Kashmir state, killing four soldiers and wounding 12, state police spokesman Subhash Raina said. One of the attackers was killed.

Jaswant Singh, the Indian Foreign Minister, called the incident a "terrorist attack".

Meanwhile, Indian and Pakistani forces fired at each other across the border overnight and on Sunday, forcing thousands to flee their homes. Pakistani officials said at least seven Pakistanis were killed.

Tension between the nuclear-armed neighbours has increased since an attack on another Indian base in Kashmir last Tuesday killed 34, most of them soldiers' wives and children. India blamed the attack on Pakistan-based militants.

India expelled Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, Pakistan's high commissioner, on Saturday – a move that was backed by the opposition Congress party, led by Sonia Gandhi.

Many ruling coalition and opposition lawmakers in India demanded an attack on Pakistan, blaming it for violence in Indian Kashmir, where tens of thousands have been killed since militants began fighting against Indian rule in 1989.

Migrant camps south-west of Jammu have swollen, with some 13,000 people fleeing their homes along the border.

Islamabad denies India's charges that it backs terrorists, and has cracked down on Islamic militants since President Pervez Musharraf threw his support behind the US-led war on terrorism.(AP)