NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian and Pakistan troops exchanged small arms and machinegun fire at border flashpoints on Friday as tension mounted between the two nuclear capable neighbors, officials said on Saturday.
A senior Indian defense official said troops had been deployed ``wherever required'' along the border of Indian-ruled Jammu and Kashmir state but the exchanges of fire were not alarming.
``From a military point of view it is routine fire given the volatile situation along the borders with Pakistan,'' the official, who did not wish to identified, told Reuters.
New Delhi moved more troops to the border after last week's deadly suicide attack on the Indian parliament and recalled its envoy to Pakistan due to what it termed Islamabad's failure to act against terrorism.
The Indian Air Force was also on high alert and had moved some bombers to forward bases, the sources added.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf denounced the recall of India's envoy on Friday as a ``very arrogant and knee-jerk response'' but said Islamabad would not respond in kind.
In New Delhi, a court extended for two more weeks the judicial custody of three suspects arrested over the attack on parliament. It also extended the police custody of a fourth suspect for another seven days.