India blames Pakistan for the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, in Jammu and Kashmir, but Islamabad denies any involvement in the incident, which left 26 dead and several injured.
In recent days, India closed its airspace to all Pakistani-owned or operated airlines, following decisions by Indian authorities against Pakistan, such as the expulsion of diplomats and the suspension of the 1960 bilateral treaty, which regulates, among other things, the use of the waters of the Indus River and its tributaries between the two countries.
India has reportedly requested the International Monetary Fund to review the loans granted to Pakistan.
The Indian Army has stated that Pakistani troops have been firing along the border, prompting retaliation, although no casualties have been reported so far.
To address this issue, the General Directors of Military Operations (DGMO) of India and Pakistan held talks on Wednesday, according to Indian media reports.
Separately, Pakistani Defense Minister Asif told international media that his intelligence service has warned of a possible and “imminent” Indian military incursion and assured that Islamabad is prepared to deploy a robust response.
The government also announced that it will keep the only land border crossing between the two countries open, to allow the return of Pakistani citizens stranded as a result of India’s revocation of visas for most Pakistanis, who have also been ordered to leave India.
The Pakistani Army conducted a large-scale military exercise with fighter jets and artillery on Thursday, while the Indian Air Force conducted a day and night demonstration of its operational capabilities on a 3.5-kilometer runway on the Ganga Highway in Shahjahanpur district, Uttar Pradesh.
Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, asked President Donald Trump for help in easing tensions, while Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth expressed his solidarity with his counterpart Rajnath Singh and supported India’s right to defend itself.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate talks with Indian Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyan Jaishankar, and Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, during which he encouraged both nations to work together to reduce tensions, according to his spokeswoman Tammy Bruce.
Jaishankar also held talks with United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres and with his counterparts from numerous countries, including Javier Martínez-Acha Vásquez of Panama, Cho Tae-yul of the Republic of Korea, Ignazio Cassis of Suza, Lars Løkke Rasmussen of Denmark, and Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya of Kuwait, among others.
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