Pakistan has halted trade and India has revoked visas as tit-for-tat retaliatory actions ramp up between the two powers after an attack in Kashmir that killed 26 people.

The victims were mostly Indian tourists who had been visiting Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in the Indian-held part of the territory, which both nuclear-armed nations claim as their own.

In response to the attack, India closed a border crossing, suspended a water-sharing treaty and downgraded diplomatic ties with Pakistan – which it blames for the assault.

The Indian government did not publicly produce any evidence connecting the attack to its neighbour, but said it had “cross-border” links to Pakistan.

Pakistan has denied the accusations and a previously unknown militant group calling itself Kashmir Resistance has claimed responsibility.

On Thursday, India’s foreign ministry said all visas issued to Pakistani nationals would be revoked, effective from Sunday.

It also advised Indian citizens not to travel to Pakistan and announced other measures including cutting the number of diplomatic staff and closing the only functional land border crossing between the nations.

In return, Pakistan said it was closing its airspace to all Indian-owned and operated airlines and suspending all trade with India – including to and from any third country.

Similarly, it also announced the cancellation of all visas under the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme – which allows some people to have a “Special Travel” document exempting them from visas.

‘Act of war’

The moves are just the latest escalation of tensions between the two, as Pakistan warned that any suspension of water supplies by India would be viewed as an “act of war”.

Both Pakistan and India saw protesters turn out on the streets, calling on their respective governments to go further.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the National Security Committee to respond to India’s measures.

He warned that any attempt to disrupt the Indus Waters Treaty would be met with “full force” from Pakistan.

The landmark treaty has so far survived two wars between the countries, in 1965 and 1971, as well as a major border skirmish in 1999.

It allows for a water-sharing system that is a lifeline for both countries – in particular for Pakistan’s agriculture.

‘Ends of the Earth’

It comes after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised to pursue those responsible for the attack “to the ends of the Earth”.

Speaking on Thursday at a public meeting in the eastern state of Bihar, he said: “I say to the whole world, India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers.

“We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth.”

Police in Indian Kashmir published notices on Thursday naming three suspected militants it claimed were “involved in” the attack.

Two of the three suspects were Pakistani nationals, according to the notice.

A contested Kashmir

India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

The region has a long, volatile and complex history.

Recent years has seen India claim that violence in the area has calmed – despite a bloody rebellion against New Delhi raging for decades.

India claims the militancy in Kashmir is Pakistan-backed terrorism.

Pakistan denies this. In a statement Thursday, the country said it supported the self-determination of the Kashmiri people.

Many Muslim Kashmiris, in a Muslim-majority territory, consider the militants part of a home-grown struggle for freedom.

Diplomatic relations between the two were already weak before the latest escalation as Pakistan had expelled India’s envoy after India revoked the semi-autonomous status of Kashmir in 2019.

This deepened tensions in the region but things have largely held stable after the two countries renewed a previous ceasefire agreement in 2021.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Kashmir since the uprising began in 1989, but violence has tapered off in recent years and tourism has surged in the scenic region.

Until the most recent episode, tourists have not been the targets of such attacks.

Donald Trump has claimed a deal to end Russia’s war on Ukraine is “very close” as he heaped pressure on Volodymyr Zelenskyy to “get it done”.

Hours after US secretary of state Marco Rubio withdrew from high-level talks in London on ending the conflict, the American president appeared to vent frustration about Mr Zelenskyy on his Truth Social platform.

“We are very close to a deal, but the man with ‘no cards to play’ should now, finally, GET IT DONE,” Mr Trump said.

“I look forward to being able to help Ukraine, and Russia, get out of this complete and total MESS, that would have never started if I were president!”

Ukraine war latest: ‘We are very close to deal’, Trump claims

Mr Trump also criticised Mr Zelenskyy for telling the Wall Street Journal that Ukraine would not accept giving up Crimea as part of a peace deal with Russia.

And he accused the Ukrainian president of harming peace negotiations with “inflammatory statements”.

Reports say that the US president’s seven-point peace plan to end the war includes a proposal that America would formally recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea – which was annexed in 2014 and which Ukraine maintains is its territory.

“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this war,” Mr Trump added. “He has nothing to boast about!

“The situation for Ukraine is dire – He can have peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole country.”

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Speaking later at the White House on Wednesday, Mr Trump said: “I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to get a deal with Zelenskyy.

“I thought Zelenskyy would be easier to deal with, but so far it’s harder. I think we have a deal with both.”

Asked if he was planning to meet Mr Putin soon in Saudi Arabia, he said “probably not, but I hope to meet with him soon thereafter”.

The peace plan, reported by US media over the weekend, would freeze the frontlines in Ukraine as part of the agreement.

London talks on ending war downgraded

It comes after Mr Rubio withdrew from a planned meeting in London on Wednesday, which the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey did attend.

The downgraded talks were also attended by Keith Kellogg, the US envoy for Ukraine, along with other officials from France, Germany and Ukraine.

Mr Rubio said last week that the US may “walk away” from negotiations due to a lack of progress with Russia and Ukraine – a warning now repeated by vice president JD Vance.

The UK Foreign Office said in a statement that there had been significant progress at the talks on Wednesday, and added: “All parties reiterated their strong support for President Trump’s commitment to stopping the killing and achieving a just and lasting peace.”

Read more:
One notable absence in Trump’s post on Zelenskyy – analysis
‘Trump will walk away from peace talks in two weeks’ | Michael Clarke Q&A

‘Emotions have run high’ – Zelenskyy

On Wednesday evening, the Ukrainian president said “emotions have run high today” but stressed all sides “expressed their views and respectfully received each other’s positions” during the London talks.

Mr Zelenskyy said on social media: “The American side shared its vision. Ukraine and other Europeans presented their inputs.

“And we hope that it is exactly such joint work that will lead to lasting peace.”

He also said, however, that “Ukraine will always act in accordance with its constitution,”.

And he posted a screenshot of the Crimea Declaration – which says the US refuses to recognise Russia’s claim to Crimea – made by former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in 2018, during Mr Trump’s first term as president.

It also comes after Ukrainian officials said nine people were killed and almost 50 injured in the city of Marhanets after a Russian drone hit a bus carrying workers on Wednesday morning.

Russia also launched “a massive” drone attack on the central Ukrainian region of Poltava, injuring at least six people, the emergency service said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

How to describe the moment when you see the open coffin of Pope Francis? 

How to sum up an experience that was shared with many, but which felt so intimate? Fortunate, memorable, touching, and emotional. Above all, unique.

Well, let’s start at the beginning.

We, along with other members of the global media, were invited into the basilica by the Vatican in order to see the lines of people filing past the coffin; to bear witness to the emotions, the sounds. To this demonstration of faith.

As we start to walk over, we know we are the lucky ones.

The queue to get into the basilica stretches into the distance – there are people waiting eight hours for the chance to see the coffin.

By contrast, we are ushered in through a side door. We round a corner, walking against a tide of people, until we enter the huge, soaring chamber in which the Pope’s coffin lies in state.

A beam of sunshine is lighting up an imposing statue, created by the genius of Bernini and now looking down upon the Pope.

I can see Francis’s hands crossed on his chest. His coffin is large, resting on the floor, but it is not ostentatious. You can see the red cloth of his vestments.

It is one thing to be told that the Pope has died, but quite another to witness the proof. Perhaps that is why so many are queuing for this moment – to bring closure, as much as to offer thanks.

Setting glistens with gold

The setting is extraordinary.

St Peter’s Basilica is a simply astonishing building that glistens with gold and whose domed ceiling rises to the sky.

Francis wanted to eschew the extravagance of previous papal funerals, but there is no avoiding the splendour of his surroundings.

By his coffin, soaring up, is the huge canopy known as St Peter’s Baldachin, which covers the altar.

Beneath it, so Christians believe, is the tomb of St Peter. This is one of the holiest places in Christianity, and the Pope lies alongside it.

Around his coffin are four soldiers from the Swiss Guard, dressed in their familiar red, blue, and yellow uniforms.

No sense of rush

A rope runs around the coffin, marking off the area. There are a few seats on one side for notable dignitaries to use when paying their respects. On the other side is a space for senior members of the Catholic church to pray and give thanks.

As we watch, there are two cardinals using this space, including the Italian Matteo Zuppi, a contender to be the next pope. I can see his mouth moving in prayer, his head bowed.

The chamber is thronged with people, but there is no sense of rush.

The queue of people runs round the edge of half the room, but it is orderly, shuffling ever forward. And there is such a blend of people – nuns and priests, but also families dressed for a day in the sun, teenagers in football shirts, grandparents in their finery. Some come in black, others in suits, some in scruffy old T-shirts.

I see three nuns come past, followed by a young woman in jeans and a T-shirt. The nuns are smiling; the woman is sobbing. We learn it’s impossible to predict who will be affected most.

You do not get to linger long at the front – maybe a few seconds – but it is an opportunity that divides.

Phones are a constant sight

Some make a cross; some offer a prayer; some take a selfie. Mobile phones are a constant sight. At any given moment, I can see dozens of them held in the air, capturing photos of the scene.

It’s hard to say whether these phones damage the mood, bruising the sombre sense of intimacy, or whether they add to the idea that this is as much about celebrating life as it is about bemoaning death. Maybe both can be true.

It is an emotional experience, whether you have faith or not. What is remarkable here is not the sight of Pope Francis’s coffin, not the hands arranged on his chest, nor the ceremony around St Peter’s.

Read more:
Inside Vatican City at moment of high tension
Who will be at the Pope’s funeral – and who won’t be

What is extraordinary – and what will live with me – is that so many people are prepared to queue for hour after hour in the beating sun to quietly offer thanks to a man that hardly any of them had ever met, but many felt they knew.

Like the Queen before, what really matters is not the scene that people will see, but rather the fact that they are so desperate to come.