India accused Islamabad of supporting "cross-border terrorism." Pakistan has denied the accusation and a previously unknown militant group calling itself Kashmir Resistance has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The nuclear-armed rivals, which both claim Kashmir and administer separate parts of it, are at a dangerous crossroad after Tuesday’s militant attack, analysts said.

The death toll from a suspected militant attack in India's Jammu and Kashmir territory has risen to 26, according to the Reuters news agency, citing local police. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was on a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, has cut short his trip and returned to India