Kashmir attack: US backs India

NEW DELHI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - The United States supports India's right to self-defence against cross-border attacks, India's foreign ministry said on Saturday after a deadly car bombing in disputed Kashmir raised tensions with rival neighbour Pakistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised a strong response after a Pakistanbased militant group claimed responsibility for the suicide attack on a military convoy on Thursday that killed 44 paramilitary policemen.

India's government said it had evidence the group, Jaish- e- Mohammad ( JeM), had the backing of Pakistan and demanded Islamabad take action. Pakistan has condemned the attack and rejected India's allegations.

US National Security Adviser John Bolton spoke to his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on Friday night, promising to help bring those behind the attack to justice, the foreign ministry said in a readout of the phone call.

“The two NSAs vowed to work together to ensure that Pakistan cease to be a safe haven for JeM and terrorist groups that target India, the U.S. and others in the region,” the foreign ministry said.

“They resolved to hold Pakistan to account for its obligations under UN resolutions,” it added.

India has for years accused Muslim Pakistan of backing separatist militants in divided Kashmir, which the neighbours both claim in full but rule in part.

Pakistan denies that, saying it only offers political support to the Himalayan region's suppressed Muslim people.

Modi, who is facing an election in the next few months, has called a meeting of political parties on Saturday to build support for action against Pakistan.

Indians have poured onto social media to vent their fury over the suicide bombing in Kashmir, with many of them calling for swift retribution against Pakistan as TV news shows hosted jingoistic debates.

When he swept to power at the head of a Hindu nationalist- led alliance in 2014, Modi vowed to pursue a tough line with Pakistan. The two countries have gone to war three times since independence from Britain in 1947, twice over Kashmir.

The attack comes at a difficult time for Pakistan, which is struggling to attract foreign investment and avert a payments crisis, with its swiftly diminishing foreign currency reserves at less than $ 8 billion, equivalent to two months of import payments.

Indian protestors burn tyres and shout slogans against Pakistan during a protest in Jammu on February 15, 2019, the day after an attack on a paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in the Lethpora area of Kashmir. - India and Pakistan's troubled ties risked taking a dangerous new turn on February 15 as New Delhi accused Islamabad of harbouring militants behind the deadliest bombing in three decades of bloodshed in Indian-administered Kashmir. At least 41 paramilitary troops were killed on February 14 as explosives packed in a van ripped through a convoy bringing 2,500 troopers back from leave not far from the main city Srinagar. (Photo by Rakesh BAKSHI / AFP)

Pakistani commuters ride past billboards showing portraits of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (2R) and Pakistan's PM Imran Khan (R) displayed on a roadside ahead of the prince's arrival in Islamabad. Pakistan is preparing to welcome the Crown Prince for a state visit over Feb 16-17, as Islamabad hopes to sign various investment deals to prop up its slumping economy. (Photo by AAMIR QURESHI / AFP)