By Fayaz Bukhari and Shivam Patel SRINAGAR (Reuters) -Armed police and soldiers searched homes and forests for militants in Indian Kashmir on Friday and India's army chief visited the area to review security,

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

Relations between India and Pakistan are cratering following a deadly militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that has sparked tit-for-tat reprisals and raised fears of another military escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals.