The risk of exposing a military still being modernized may constrain Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he weighs retaliation for a terrorist attack.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif cautioned that any Indian attack could escalate into a full-blown war between the two nuclear powers, following the Pahalgam terror attack. Asif refuted Pakistan's involvement,

Islamabad has warned that it will consider it "an act of war," if India makes good on its threat to cut off Pakistan's access to the water upon which its power grid and irrigation network rely.