Pakistan PM authorizes use of force in case of Indian attack

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan's prime minister has authorized the armed forces to "respond decisively and comprehensively to any aggression or misadventure" by India, as tensions soar between the nuclear-armed rivals.

India has vowed a "jaw-breaking response" to a suicide bombing in the disputed Kashmir region last week that killed 40 Indian soldiers.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the order in a government statement released after a meeting of his National Security Committee. The statement said Pakistan was not involved in the attack, which was "conceived, planned and executed indigenously."

Kashmir is split between Pakistani and Indian zones of control but claimed in its entirety by both countries, which have gone to war twice over the Himalayan territory. India has long accused Pakistan of supporting Islamic militants who attack its forces in Kashmir.