India, Pakistan continue to flex military might after deadly tourist attack

The Associated Press

· Posted: May 05, 2025 11:23 AM EDT | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

India and Pakistan are scrambling resources, some subject and diplomatic, to respond to a situation triggered by a massacre successful Indian-controlled Kashmir that has heightened fears of a struggle betwixt the nuclear-armed rivals.

India blames Pakistan for backing the gunmen down the April 22 sidesplitting of 26 people, astir of them Indian Hindu tourists, and has described it arsenic a panic attack. Islamabad denies the charge.

Both countries person expelled each other's diplomats and nationals, arsenic good arsenic closed their borders and shuttered airspace. India has besides suspended a captious water-sharing pact with Pakistan.

Kashmir is divided betwixt India and Pakistan and claimed successful its entirety by both.

The 2 countries person fought 2 of their 3 wars implicit the Himalayan region, and their ties person been shaped by conflict, assertive diplomacy and communal suspicion, mostly owed to their competing claims implicit Kashmir.

A Pakistani curate past week said his state had "credible intelligence" that an Indian onslaught was imminent. To this point, determination has been nary subject enactment from India.

Here's wherever the concern stands since the latest attack:

World leaders impulse de-escalation

After an archetypal question of condemnations of the onslaught connected tourists, satellite leaders are calling for some sides to debar escalation. 

The United Nations Security Council is expected to clasp closed consultations connected Monday to sermon the situation.

International unit has been piling connected some New Delhi and Islamabad to easiness tensions. Senior officials from the U.S., China, Russia and Saudi Arabia person urged some sides to workout restraint.

Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote connected X that Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi connected Monday and "strongly condemned the panic onslaught successful Pahalgam."

Iran's overseas curate held talks with apical Pakistani officials connected Monday, as Tehran has offered to assistance easiness tensions betwixt the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Both nations person launched an assertive diplomatic run to enactment up enactment for their positions.

India has made efforts to item what it called the "cross-border link" to the onslaught by briefing diplomats of dozens of countries.

"The diplomatic outreach this clip has been rather extensive, and the thought for India would beryllium to showcase immoderate grounds it has to its partners and to marque a lawsuit that immoderate actions mightiness beryllium coming from its broadside has the enactment of its partners and allies," said Harsh Pant, overseas argumentation caput astatine the Observer Research Foundation think-tank successful New Delhi.

Pakistan has offered to co-operate with an planetary probe into the onslaught and reached retired to dozens of overseas diplomats. Islamabad, however, said that it volition lucifer oregon transcend immoderate subject enactment by India.

Tensions connected the border, fears successful Kashmir

The Indian service has said its troops person exchanged gunfire with Pakistani soldiers on the Line of Control in Kashmir, which divides the contested region, blaming the neighbour for unprovoked firing for 10 consecutive nights. Islamabad, meanwhile, has accused India of violating a ceasefire.

In Kashmir, Indian forces person launched a immense cognition to hunt the April 22 attackers. At slightest 2,000 radical person been detained and questioned. Some person been arrested nether anti-terrorism laws that let authorities to detain radical without ceremonial charges. Indian forces besides blew up astatine slightest 9 household homes of suspected rebels, who person been warring for independency oregon merger with Pakistan.

The crackdown has led to fearfulness and anxiousness successful Kashmir, stirring traumatic memories of the region's decades-long insurgency and India's brutal response.

"Kashmiris are ever the archetypal to carnivore the brunt of immoderate governmental oregon subject tensions betwixt India and Pakistan," said Praveen Donthi, a elder expert with the International Crisis Group.

"The corporate punishment imposed connected Kashmiris and the authorities unit unleashed against them further inflames the conflict."

Missile tests

Pakistan's subject said Monday it test-fired a short-range missile from an undisclosed location, the second-known trial motorboat aft a medium-range rocket was fired connected Saturday. Such missiles are ne'er fired toward India, and usually extremity up reaching the Arabian Sea oregon the deserts of confederate Balochistan province.

India's navy besides test-fired missiles past week.

In 2019, a skirmish betwixt the 2 countries astir spiralled retired of control, earlier U.S. involution eased tensions.