On the brink of armed conflict; Borders are closed, civilians are being prepared for war

Tensions are high between the two countries and there are growing fears that India and Pakistan could start a conflict over the April 22 deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir.

While world powers have called for calm, relations between the two nuclear-armed countries have soured significantly since the April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people, the worst attack on civilians in India in two decades.

India has accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack, but official Islamabad has denied the allegations, warning that it has intelligence that India is planning military action soon.

Both countries have closed their land borders, suspended trade and closed airspace for mutual traffic, and there has been an exchange of small arms fire in the border zone of Kashmir.

India's interior ministry has asked several states to conduct mock security exercises on May 7 to ensure civilian readiness for a possible conflict with Pakistan, an unnamed government source in New Delhi told Reuters.