“And when you hear of wars and rumours of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Mark 13:7 and Matthew 23:6

Pakistan said it shot down an Indian spy drone in its airspace yesterday. The incident, which India has not confirmed, marks the latest escalation following a deadly attack last week in the Indian-controlled region of Kashmir.

On April 22, at least four gunmen killed 26 people, most of them Indian tourists, in the resort town of Pahalgam. India says at least two of the assailants were Pakistani citizens and blames Islamabad for supporting separatist violence. Pakistan denies association with the gunmen.

Since the attack, the countries have downgraded diplomatic relations. India suspended a key water treaty enabling Pakistan to access 80% of the water it uses for irrigation and launched a test missile over the weekend. Pakistan closed its airspace to India and has threatened a nuclear response if India attacks.

India and Pakistan have fought three wars over the mountainous region of Kashmir since the two countries were partitioned from former British India in 1947