After the deadly Uri attack in September 2016, where 19 Indian soldiers were killed, India launched what it called "surgical strikes" across the de facto border - also known as the Line of Control (LoC) - targeting what it said were militant launch pads in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

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.

At least 26 people were killed and 17 others wounded when gunmen opened fire on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir, the worst assault in years targeting civilians in a restive region that has seen an anti-India rebellion for more than three decades.