India's army has responded to what it described as Pakistan's "blatant escalation with drone strikes and other munitions" along its western borders as part of the latest escalation in a conflict between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

Tensions between the nuclear-armed rivals have soared since an attack at a popular tourist site in India-controlled Kashmir left 26 civilians dead, mostly Hindu Indian tourists, on April 22. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for backing the assault, an accusation Islamabad rejects.

The people of Kashmir have for decades been caught in the middle of the bitter rivalry between Pakistan and India over the disputed Himalayan region they call home