New Delhi, May 1 -- Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday accused India of "escalatory and provocative behaviour" in a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Islamabad said. "India's provocations would only serve to distract Pakistan from its ongoing efforts to defeat terrorism, particularly from militant groups," Sharif said, according to the statement released by his office. Rubio was also expected to speak to Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar. Earlier, Sharif's deputy Ishaq Dar said Pakistan will not resort to any escalatory action but will respond "very strongly" to any escalatory move by India. He reiterated Islamabad's call for an independent investigation into the Pahalgam terror attack that has led to heightened tensions between the two sides. Dar, who is also the foreign minister, reiterated his government's contention that Pakistan had no connection to the terror attack on April 22 that killed 26 people, and pushed back against punitive measures taken by India, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, by saying any stopping of the flow of river waters will be seen as an "attack on the people of Pakistan and its economy". "Pakistan believes in and remains committed to regional peace and stability. However, in case of any act of aggression, Pakistan remains determined to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity [through] the exercise of its inherent right to self-defence as enshrined in Article 51 of the UN Charter," he said. Noting that world leaders such as Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi have urged Pakistan to exercise restraint, Dar said: "Pakistan will not be the first one to resort to any escalatory move. However, in case of any escalatory move by the Indian side, we will respond very strongly." Chaudhry responded to a question on Pakistan's options and possible response by saying, "We are monitoring the situation very carefully... and our responses and counter-measures in all domains are ready... There will be decisive and assured actions, I will not go into the details."...