NEW DELHI (Reuters) – India launched attacks on suspected militant camps in Pakistan on Wednesday in response to the killing of 26 people, mostly tourists in Indian Kashmir last month.
Pakistan said its response to India’s missile strike was underway.
Here is a look at the tit-for-tat measures the two countries have announced in the aftermath of the violence:
WHAT HAPPENED?
Gunmen opened fire in the Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist attraction in Kashmir’s Pahalgam area, on the afternoon of April 22, killing 26 people and wounding several others before fleeing into the surrounding pine forests.
WHY DOES INDIA SAY PAKISTAN IS INVOLVED?
The two countries both claim Kashmir in full, but rule it in part. India has long accused Pakistan of helping Islamist separatists who have battled security forces in its part of the territory – accusations Islamabad denies.
India says it has identified the three attackers, including two Pakistani nationals, as “terrorists” waging a violent revolt against Indian rule in Muslim-majority Kashmir.
HOW HAS PAKISTAN RESPONDED?
Pakistan has denied any involvement and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for a transparent, credible and neutral investigation into the attack. He also urged the U.S. to impress upon India to “dial down the rhetoric and act responsibly”.
The head of the Pakistan-administered region of Kashmir called for international mediation and said his administration was preparing a humanitarian response in case of further escalation.
WHAT MEASURES HAVE THE COUNTRIES TAKEN?
* India and Pakistan have closed their airspace to each other’s airlines.
* Both countries have closed the only open land border they share, and suspended special South Asian visas that enabled people to travel between them.
* They have declared each other’s defence advisors in missions in New Delhi and Islamabad persona non grata, and reduced the strength of their embassies.
* India has suspended a critical treaty that regulated the sharing of water from the Indus River and its tributaries. Pakistan has warned that any attempt to stop or divert the water will be considered an act of war and met with “full force”.
* Pakistan has paused all bilateral agreements and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country.
(Compiled by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by YP Rajesh, Sanjeev Miglani and Stephen Coates)
