India Recalls Envoy from Pakistan

India announced on Friday it was recalling its High Commissioner to Pakistan.

According to a spokeswoman for the Indian foreign ministry, Pakistan has not done enough to combat Islamic extremist groups. India blames these militants for the attack on its parliament last week.

The spokeswoman also announced India would discontinue all bus and train services between the two countries from January 1.

These announcements are the toughest official response so far to last week's attack on the parliament in New Delhi.

Pakistan: "Knee-jerk response"

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf denounced the recall. He said it was a "very arrogant and knee-jerk response" to tension over the parliament attack.

Musharraf said Islamabad would not respond in kind.

Rising tension

Tensions in India have escalated since a suicide raid that led to the deaths of 13 people in the Indian parliament on Thursday of last week.

India has blamed Pakistan for supporting Kashmir militants thought to be behind last week’s attack and has called for Islamabad to crack down on Kashmir terrorist groups based in Pakistan.

But Pakistan has rejected the charges and refuses to act against any individual or group without evidence.

All-out war?

As tension between the two countries rises, fear in the region is spreading of India launching retaliatory strikes on Kashmiri militants, action which could lead to a further war between the two powers.

India and Pakistan have already fought three wars since the two countries won independence from Britain in 1947 – two of them were over Kashmir.

Today, both countries have nuclear weapons.