UN urges Pakistan and India to show 'maximum restraint'

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The United Nations urged India and Pakistan to show "maximum restraint" as the nuclear-armed rivals imposed tit-for-tat diplomatic measures over a deadly shooting in Occupied Kashmir.
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.
"We very much appeal to both the governments... to exercise maximum restraint, and to ensure that the situation and the developments we've seen do not deteriorate any further," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York on Thursday.
"Any issues between Pakistan and India, we believe, can be and should be resolved peacefully through meaningful mutual engagement".
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday 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.
"I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer," Modi said, in his first speech since Tuesday's attack in the Himalayan region.
"We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth."
Denying any involvement, Islamabad called attempts to link Pakistan to the Pahalgam attack "frivolous" and vowed to respond to any Indian action. "Any threat to Pakistan's sovereignty and to the security of its people will be met with firm reciprocal measures in all domains," a Pakistani statement said, after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a rare National Security Committee (NSC) with top military chiefs.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since its independence in 1947, with both claiming the territory in full but governing separate portions of it.
Mujahideen groups have waged an armed struggle in Indian-held Kashmir since 1989, demanding independence or a merger with Pakistan.
India's air force and navy both carried out military exercises Thursday.
Indian police say offered a two-million-rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each attacker's arrest.
A day after the attack, 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.
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.
Pakistan also warned any attempt by India to stop the supply of water from the Indus River would be an "act of war".
Pahalgam marks a dramatic shift in recent Kashmiri attacks, which typically target Indian security forces.
Experts say that a military response may still be in the pipeline, with some speculating that it may come within days while others say weeks.
In 2019, a suicide attack killed 41 Indian troops in Kashmir and triggered Indian air strikes inside Pakistan, bringing the countries to the brink of all-out war.