The gunmen, whom New Delhi has accused Islamabad of supporting, reportedly targeted Hindus, who make up the majority of the Indian population. Pakistan is a Muslim-majority country.
India has since expelled Pakistani diplomats, suspended a crucial water treaty and canceled visas for Pakistani nationals, with Pakistan responding in kind, and minor skirmishes have erupted along the frontier.
A Pakistani minister claimed this week that India was planning a military attack. The United States has urged both countries, which have nuclear arsenals and have warred with each other before — most recently in 1999 — to defuse tensions.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen led a delegation to India in February to discuss a long-awaited trade deal between the bloc and New Delhi.
After the attack in Pahalgam, she sent condolences to “every Indian heart” and vowed in a post on X, “Europe will stand with you.”
