Tensions escalate between India and Pakistan following attack in disputed Kashmir

Tensions between India and Pakistan were high on Thursday as New Delhi mounted a diplomatic offensive against Islamabad, blaming it for a deadly attack that killed 26 people in Kashmir and shattered India’s claims of calm in a disputed region where a bloody rebellion against Indian rule has been ongoing for decades.

A rare attack on civilians — mostly tourists who were visiting a popular scenic meadow — shocked and outraged India and prompted calls for action against their country’s archenemy, Pakistan. The Indian government did not publicly produce any evidence connecting the attack to its neighbor, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan. Pakistan denied any connection to the attack, which was claimed by a previously unknown militant group that called itself the Kashmir Resistance.

India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety. New Delhi describes all militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.

Read more: ABC News