On April 22, gunmen from the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba offshoot, The Resistance Front (TRF), ambushed a group of tourists in a mountain meadow near Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir—mostly killing Hindu pilgrims and vacationers. Assailants fired on unarmed men, women and children inuring around 20 others.

Pakistan’s leader condemned the strikes and called it an act of war. India said it struck infrastructure used by militants linked to last month’s massacre of tourists in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir.

Despite the increased violence, including cross-border shelling, both sides appeared to be calibrating their moves to avoid a descent into full-blown conflict.