Sentinal_Sarosh
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Srinagar, India-administered Kashmir - At least 42 Indian forces have been killed in a suicide attack in southern part of India-administered Kashmir, the worst such attack in two decades of Kashmir conflict.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said there was "incontrovertible evidence" of Pakistan's hand in the assault Thursday on a convoy in Indian-controlled Kashmir which killed at least 40 paramilitary personnel.
Those responsible will have to "pay a heavy price", Mr Jaitley said.
Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Pakistan-based terror group, claimed responsibility for the attack that took place in Pulwama near the state capital Srinagar.
Islamabad denied any link.
It was the worst since a 2016 ambush on a military camp which prompted India to launch cross-border attacks against Pakistan. That incident claimed 19 lives.
The deadly strike is the latest challenge for Modi who's already battling a slide in popularity over rising concerns of lack of jobs, and could prompt New Delhi to launch a limited military strike to shore up support.
At the heart of the dispute is Kashmir which has been divided between nuclear-armed Indian and Pakistan since 1947 but is claimed in full by both. India is estimated to have up to 500,000 troops stationed in the region.
"This attack will pose a major test for Modi," said Michael Kugelman, senior South Asia associate at the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Centre.
"Given the fast-approaching election and his increasing political vulnerability, he will be under tremendous pressure to resort to some type of muscular response."
New Delhi says Jaish-e-Mohammad has carried out attacks on Indian security forces in the past but Pakistan has refused to act.
"This terror group is led by the international terrorist Masood Azhar, who has been given full freedom by the government of Pakistan to operate and expand his terror infrastructure in territories under the control of Pakistan and to carry out attacks in India and elsewhere with impunity," India's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Pakistan's foreign ministry denied any role. "We strongly reject any insinuation by elements in the Indian government and media circles that seek to link the attack to the State of Pakistan without investigations," it said in a statement.