ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday accused India of "escalatory and provocative behavior" in a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Islamabad said, as tensions mount between the two nuclear powers following an attack in Kashmir.
"India's provocations would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism, particularly from militant groups," Sharif said, according to the statement released by his office.
Both sides said on Wednesday they had repeatedly traded gunfire for a sixth straight night across the Line of Control (LoC), a heavily fortified zone of high-altitude Himalayan outposts that represents the de facto Kashmir border.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave the military "complete operational freedom" to respond to the attack during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday, a senior government source told AFP.
Pakistan's government has denied any involvement in the shooting and vowed that "any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response".
"Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours using the Pahalgam incident as a false pretext," information minister Attaullah Tarar said in a statement early on Wednesday.
However, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also said Pakistan would not strike first.
