Relations have plunged to their lowest level in years, with India accusing Pakistan of supporting “cross-border terrorism” after gunmen carried out the worst attack on civilians in contested Muslim-majority Kashmir for a quarter of a century.
“There was no firing on the civilian population,“ he added.
On Thursday, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York that issues between the countries “can be and should be resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement”.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to hunt down the gunmen responsible for killing 26 civilians at the popular tourist site of Pahalgam, after Indian police identified two of the three fugitive gunmen as Pakistani.
“We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth.”
“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 said, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a rare National Security Committee with top military chiefs.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence in 1947, with both claiming the territory in full but governing separate portions of it.
India's air force and navy both carried out military exercises Thursday.
They offered a two million rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man's arrest.
In response, Islamabad on Thursday ordered the expulsion of Indian diplomats and military advisers, cancelling visas for Indian nationals -- with the exception of Sikh pilgrims -- and closing the main border crossing from its side.
'Reduce it to dust'
Experts say that a military response may still be in the pipeline.
“Whatever little land these terrorists have, it’s time to reduce it to dust,“ Modi said on Thursday, after holding two minutes of silence in memory of those killed, all but one of whom was Indian.
The worst attack in recent years in Indian-run Kashmir was at Pulwama in 2019, when insurgents rammed a car packed with explosives into a police convoy, killing 40 and wounding 35.
Tuesday's assault happened as tourists enjoyed tranquil mountain views at the popular site at Pahalgam, when gunmen burst out of forests and raked crowds with automatic weapons.
Indian security forces have launched a vast manhunt for the attackers, with large numbers of people detained.
The attack has enraged Hindu nationalist groups, and students from Kashmir at institutions across India have reported experiencing harassment and intimidation.
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