STAR REPORT

India and Pakistan exchanged an escalating series of tit-for-tat diplomatic measures yesterday after New Delhi blamed its arch-rival for backing a deadly shooting attack in contested Kashmir.

The tit-for-tat announcements took relations between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who have fought three wars, to the lowest level in years.

The latest diplomatic crisis was triggered by the killing of 26 men at a popular tourist destination in Indian Kashmir on Tuesday, in the worst attack on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai shootings. All 26 killed were Indian nationals, except one from Nepal.

New Delhi said there were cross-border elements to the attack and downgraded ties with Pakistan on Wednesday, suspending a 1960 treaty on sharing waters of the Indus River and closing the only land crossing between the neighbours.

While the measures are largely symbolic, some fear New Delhi’s diplomatic moves may just be an opening salvo -- with the potential risk of military action between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Indian police published notices naming three suspects and saying two were Pakistanis, but New Delhi has not offered any proof of the links or shared any more details.

Police have offered a two-million-rupee ($23,500) bounty for information leading to each man’s arrest.

Yesterday, Pakistan said it was closing its airspace to Indian-owned or operated airlines, suspending all trade, including through third countries and halting special

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