India holds Pakistan responsible for attack

India holds Pakistan "directly responsible'' for a deadly attack by suspected Islamic militants on an army base in Kashmir, the defence minister said today.

"Pakistan is directly responsible for this. They train young people and send them here to spread terrorism. What else can we expect of them?'' Minister George Fernandes said after visiting the army base and the injured in several hospitals.

The attack claimed 34 lives and was the deadliest in the disputed Himalayan region since last October.

It came as a senior US official was meeting top Indian officials to urge them to resume dialogue with Pakistan to end a six-month military stand-off.

The death toll mounted to 34 today as a wounded child of an army soldier died in the military hospital in Jammu, police said.

All shops, businesses and schools were closed for the day in Jammu, in mourning and in response to a call to strike by both the governing and opposition parties.