Amid rising tensions with India, Pakistan’s defense minister declared his country’s innocence in a terror attack that killed 26 people this week in Kashmir territory.

Indian officials said the army had a brief exchange of fire with Pakistani soldiers along their highly militarized frontier in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, as the nuclear-armed rivals ramped up tit-for-tat diplomatic offensive following a deadly attack on tourists.

A day after the U.N. appealed for restraint following Tuesday's deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, India reported an exchange of fire across the de facto border in the disputed region.