Residents of New Delhi expressed support Thursday for India's handling of the crisis with Pakistan.

Some called on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to "finish off" Pakistan following the downing of an Indian warplane in disputed Kashmir.

The tension between the two nuclear-armed rivals has escalated to a level unseen in the last two decades, after Pakistan said Wednesday it had shot down two Indian warplanes and captured a pilot,.

This was in response an airstrike a day earlier by Indian aircraft inside Pakistan.

India and Pakistan exchanged gunfire through the night into Thursday morning in the disputed Himalayan region.

Meanwhile, members of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharitiya Janata Party called for more military action, suggesting the conflict still could worsen.

World powers have called on the nations to de-escalate the tensions gripping the contested region.