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An attack on tourists in India's Himalayan territory of Kashmir this week sparked a new crisis between nuclear armed South Asian neighbours India and Pakistan, with New Delhi blaming militants with "cross-border linkages" for the killings.

Here is a look at the tit-for-tat measures the two countries have announced in the aftermath of the violence.

WHAT HAPPENED?
Suspected militants opened fire in the Baisaran Valley, a popular tourist attraction in Kashmir's Pahalgam area, on Tuesday afternoon, 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.

Indian officials say Tuesday's attack had "cross-border linkages". Kashmiri police, in notices identifying three people "involved" in the violence, said two of them were Pakistani nationals. India has not elaborated on the links or shared proof.

HOW HAS PAKISTAN RESPONDED?
Pakistan said India's accusations were made without any "credible investigation" or "verifiable evidence", saying they are "frivolous" and "devoid of rationality".

It has also called on India to refrain from a "reflexive blame game" and to take responsibility for its "failure to provide security" to people.

WHAT MEASURES HAVE THE COUNTRIES TAKEN?
* 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.

* Pakistan has closed its airspace to all Indian-owned and Indian-operated airlines.

Here's what's happening
• Missiles launched: India said it launched “Operation Sindoor” on Wednesday, striking “terrorist infrastructure” in both Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, a major escalation that risks spiraling into an all-out conflict between the two neighbors.

• Downed planes: Pakistan said eight people were killed, including children, in what the prime minister described as “an act of war.” Pakistan also said five Indian Air Force planes and a drone were shot down during the attack. India has not confirmed the fighter jet losses.


What is the significance of the name "Operation Sindoor"?
The name India chose for its military operation against Pakistan appears laden with religious symbolism.

“Operation Sindoor” is a reference to the red vermilion, or powder, many Hindu women wear on their foreheads after marriage.

April’s massacre on civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir left several women widowed.

In the days following the attack, an image of a woman lying next to the lifeless body of her husband went viral, becoming a symbol of the pain and heartbreak endured by victims of the assault.

India’s defense and foreign ministers have both posted an image on X of the name of the operation showing, which depicts the red powder.

“The world must show zero tolerance for terrorism,” India’s Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar wrote on X.

“Victory to India,” Defense Minister Rajnath Singh wrote in Hindi.

Here's what we know
• Major escalation: India and Pakistan are on the brink of a wider conflict after India launched strikes on both Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. India said it targeted “terrorist infrastructure” in the wake of a tourist massacre in India-controlled Kashmir last month.

• Deadly attacks: Pakistan’s military said 31 people were killed in India’s attacks. According to a senior Indian defense source, shelling by Pakistan killed at least 12 people on the Indian side of the de facto border that divides Kashmir.

• Pakistan pledges retaliation: Pakistan’s prime minister described the attack as “an act of war,” saying those killed “will be avenged.” He also claimed Pakistan destroyed Indian fighter jets in an hour-long air battle.

• About the Kashmir dispute: Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan each control parts of Kashmir but claim it in full and have fought three wars over the territory.

US President Trump offers to assist in de-escalation of India-Pakistan conflict
United States President Donald Trump encouraged de-escalation between India and Pakistan today following a sharp escalation between the two countries. He said in the Oval Office that he was willing to assist in easing the current violence.

“My position is I get along with both. I know both very well, and I want to see them work it out. I want to see them stop, and hopefully they can stop now,” Trump said, adding the situation was “so terrible.”

“They’ve gone tit-for-tat, so hopefully they can stop now, but I know both. We get along with both countries very well, good relationships with both, and I want to see it stop. And if I can do anything to help, I will. I will be there,” he said.

So far, it is not clear how much of a mediating role the US has taken in the conflict. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also the interim national security adviser, spoke to officials from both India and Pakistan yesterday evening.

Some 125 Indian and Pakistani fighter jets battled for over an hour in one of the biggest dogfights in recent history, according to a Pakistani security source quoted by CNN.

If the numbers of aircraft were confirmed, it would make it one of the largest air battles since World War Two.

Why It Matters
The scale of the dogfight on Wednesday underscores the intensity of the conflict between the two nuclear-armed rivals—both of which possess some of the world's largest conventional military forces—and highlights the implications of any further escalation should diplomatic efforts fail to ease tensions that erupted after an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.

What To Know
The "dog fight" between Pakistani and Indian fighter jets, which Pakistani officials say downed five Indian planes, was one of the "largest and longest in recent aviation history," a senior Pakistani security source told CNN. The Pakistani claim has not been corroborated and could not be immediately verified by Newsweek.

A total of 125 fighter jets engaged in an hour-long aerial battle, with both sides confined to their own airspace as long-range missiles were exchanged at distances surpassing 100 miles, CNN said.

Indian pilots made multiple passes at targets, while Pakistan issued warnings in areas it believed were at risk to minimize civilian harm. Neither side crossed the border, the source said, citing a 2019 clash when an Indian pilot was shot down, captured in Pakistan, and paraded on television—an embarrassment both militaries were keen to avoid repeating.

What Happens Next
Escalating tensions between India and Pakistan have prompted calls from the U.S. and world powers urging both sides to exercise restraint and pursue diplomatic de-escalation.

Pakistan launched a retaliatory military operation against India early on Saturday, its military said, targeting multiple bases including a missile storage site in northern India as the nuclear-armed neighbours extended their worst fighting in nearly three decades.

Pakistan military officials told state-run media the Pathankot military airfield in Punjab and Udhampur air force base in Indian-administered Kashmir were among the targets, with loud explosions heard from both. Officials said the operation was called Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos, an Arabic phrase meaning “wall of lead”.

Pakistan’s offensive came shortly after it said India had fired missiles from fighter jets at three air bases earlier on Saturday, including one close to the capital, Islamabad. Pakistani said its air defences had intercepted most of them.

Among the targets was Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi, where the Pakistani military has its headquarters, which is around 10km from Islamabad. The strikes caused panic in the densely populated area, with loud explosions sending residents running into the streets. In the aftermath of the strikes, Pakistan shut down its air space.

Following Saturday’s strikes, Pakistan prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, called a meeting of the National Command Authority, the military said. The authority is the top body of civilian and military officials that takes security decisions including those related to the country’s nuclear arsenal.

India’s attempted strikes on Rawalpindi and other key military bases – and the launch of Pakistan’s counter-attack on Saturday – marks the steepest escalation in their confrontation yet, bringing the two countries the closest they have been to war in decades.

Locked in a longstanding dispute over Kashmir, the two countries have engaged in daily clashes since Wednesday, when India launched strikes inside Pakistan on what it called militant bases.
At least 48 people have been killed since Wednesday, according to casualty estimates on both sides of the border that have not been independently verified.

The dramatic flare up comes after a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir last month, when 26 civilians were killed. India has accused Pakistan of supporting militants behind the attack.

India’s defence and foreign ministries did not immediately comment on the strikes, but India’s military said it had actively begun large-scale mobilisation of additional forces to the border, including activating its reserve territorial army (TA), to ensure full operational strength of the army in the event of any further conflict escalation.

The G7 has called for an “immediate de-escalation” and “maximum restraint” between India and Pakistan amid the flaring conflict. “Further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability,” G7 foreign ministers said in a statement on Saturday.

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate ceasefire" after a fourth day of strikes and counter-strikes against each other's military installations.

Pakistan's foreign minister also said both countries had agreed to a ceasefire "with immediate effect" and India's foreign ministry said it would start at 5 p.m. Indian time (1130 GMT).

After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

The sudden announcement came on a day when fears spiked that the countries' nuclear arsenals might come into play as Pakistan's military said a top military and civilian body overseeing its nuclear weapons would meet.

But Pakistan's defence minister later said no such meeting was scheduled.

At the same time, officials from both sides showed a willingness to take a step back following the day's exchanges, as the combined civilian death toll on the two sides rose to 66.

Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect," Pakistani Foreign minister Ishaq Dar posted on X. "Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity!"

India's foreign ministry said that the head of Pakistan's military operations called his Indian counterpart on Saturday afternoon and it was agreed that both sides would stop all firing.

The two heads will speak to each other again on May 12, the ministry added.

I heard that India's aircraft and anti-aircraft missiles are not very useful.

I heard that India's aircraft and anti-aircraft missiles are not very useful.