NEW DELHI, Apr 24: India and Pakistan exchanged an escalating series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures on Thursday after New Delhi blamed its arch-rival for backing a deadly shooting attack in contested Kashmir.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowed to pursue and punish the gunmen responsible for killing 26 civilians in the tourist hotspot of Pahalgam on Tuesday, accusing Pakistan of supporting "cross-border terrorism".
"I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer," Modi said in his first speech since the attack in the Himalayan region. "We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth".
Indian police in the region have identified two of the three fugitive gunmen as Pakistani.
The attack at Pahalgam in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir was the deadliest for a quarter of a century and marked a dramatic shift with the targeting of civilians, rather than Indian security forces.
New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, announced the closure of the main land border crossing with Pakistan, downgraded diplomatic ties and withdrew visas for Pakistanis on Wednesday night.
On Thursday, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif convened a rare meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) with top military officials, including powerful Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, in the capital Islamabad in response to India's accusations and measures.
"Any threat to Pakistan's sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains," a statement released by Sharif's office said after the NSC meeting.
"In the absence of any credible investigation and verifiable evidence, attempts to link the Pahalgam attack with Pakistan are frivolous, devoid of rationality and defeat logic," it said.
The slew of tit-for-tat measures announced by the Pakistan government include expelling Indian diplomats and cancelling visas for Indian nationals with the exception of Sikh pilgrims.
Islamabad said Indian military advisers were "persona non grata" and were "directed to leave Pakistan immediately".
The main Wagah border crossing in Punjab will close on both sides.
Pakistan also warned that it would consider any attempt by India to stop the supply of water from the Indus River an "act of war".
Indian police say the three gunmen are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, designated by the United Nations as a terrorist organisation.
Police have offered a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man's arrest. �"AFP
