Tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours Indian and Pakistan mounted over the weekend as New Delhi’s security forces weighed options for a military response to a suicide car bombing that killed 44 paramilitary police officers in its restive Kashmir region.
In a series of public speeches while inaugurating a new public works project before upcoming parliamentary elections, Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, continued to express fury at last week’s attack. He vowed to “ avenge every tear” and said that India’s military had been given a free hand to decide on an appropriate response.
“The fire that is raging in your hearts is in my heart too,” Mr Modi told a huge crowd in Bihar on Sunday. The previous day, Mr Modi declared that “how, when, where and who will punish the killers and their promoters will be decided by our forces, who are capable of dealing with the situation”.