India has put on hold a plan to issue visas to Pakistani senior citizens on arrival, amid fresh tension between the two countries.

Home Secretary RK Singh told the BBC that the policy, due to come into effect on Tuesday, had been put on hold for technical reasons.

There was no immediate indication of when the practice might be introduced. Violence in Kashmir has plunged India and Pakistan into the worst crisis since the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Two Indian and two Pakistani soldiers have been killed in the last week in clashes near the Line of Control dividing the disputed region.

The visa policy, decided in September, was part of a bid to improve ties between Islamabad and Delhi. Under the deal, citizens aged over 65 were to be issued 45-day, single-entry visas so they could visit friends and relatives.

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