India and Pakistan at risk of conflict after Kashmir attack
India and Pakistan are continuing to escalate military and diplomatic tensions following one of the deadliest attacks in recent history in Kashmir.
India has blamed Pakistan for a terror attack which left 26 people dead, mostly Indian Hindu men, in the Pahalgam region of Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22nd.
The crisis has heightened fears of conflict between the two nuclear-armed and long-standing rivals as the international community scrambles to ease tensions as gunfire skirmishes continue on the de facto border of Kashmir.
Both countries have expelled each other’s diplomats and nations, closed their airspaces and borders and suspended a critical water-sharing treaty. Pakistan has also been test-firing short and medium-range ballistic missiles as India’s navy retaliated by testing their own missiles in a tit-for-tat military escalation.
The attack occurred on April 22nd when rebel gunmen opened fire on a group of tourists after asking them whether they were Hindu or Muslim. Many of those killed were shot in the head or neck at short-range but many of the women were spared. Police have accused rebels of masterminding the attack whilst Modi’s government accuses Islamabad of involvement – an accusation they have adamantly denied.
The attack sparked international condemnation from the US, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, France, Italy, and the UAE.
However, many question how such a vicious and coordinated attack occurred in a region dominated by Indian military personnel. After a suicide bombing in 2019, Modi revoked Kashmir’s semi-autonomous status and has since ruled the region with an iron fist.
Since bringing Kashmir under federal rule, rebel violence has declined, prompting the Indian government to tout that all was well in Kashmir and pointing to a tourism influx as evidence of normality.
Additionally, Modi was expected to inaugurate a multi-billion dollar railway line to Kashmir Valley to promote further economic development of the region.
Yet the attack makes clear that not everybody is happy about the deepening integration of the Muslim-majority region with India. Many have criticized the crackdown on civil liberties, media freedoms and right to dissent to argue against Indian control of the region.
Indeed, since the attack, Indian forces have launched a huge operation to hunt the attackers with over 2,000 people being detained and questioned so far, sparking concerns over a renewal of conflict.
The anger within India over the attack is paramount and the government will be expected to retaliate. The international community will need to continue to try to de-escalate the emerging conflict so the people of Kashmir do not bear the brunt of two nuclear superpowers going head-to-head.
AP News
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