Five Indian jets shot down as full-scale war seems imminent
Five Indian jets have been shot out of the sky by the Pakistani airforce in the latest escalation of military tensions between the two superpowers.
Pakistan downed the jets in a retaliatory move after India had struck Pakistan will missiles on April 30th, in what Pakistan labelled an “unprovoked and blatant act of war,” according to The National on May 6th.
“We strongly condemn India’s cowardly action, which is a flagrant violation of the UN Charter, international law and established norms of inter-state relations,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “India’s reckless action has brought the two nuclear-armed states closer to a major conflict.” Those words became a reality as the Indian jets were downed.
In emphasising the risk of conflict between two nuclear powers, it seems Pakistan is seeking to internationalise the conflict. In other words, drag other world powers into the dispute in an effort to balance the power of India and potentially mediate.
Despite New Delhi saying its attacks the previous week were “focused and non-escalatory” by their avoiding Pakistani military infrastructure on directing their attacks on alleged terrorist infrastructure, Islamabad have said the attacks killed at least 8 people, including a child.
“Pakistan has every right to give a befitting reply to this act of war imposed by India and a befitting reply is being given,” according to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Sharif.
India launched attacks against Pakistan in their own retaliatory move for the deadly attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir which left 26 people dead. The terrorist 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.
Since, border skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani military have escalated, along with their respective navies test-firing ballistic missiles in a blatant demonstration of military power.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars along with the three-decade armed insurgency in Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir is ruled by India and Pakistan in parts but has been claimed by both in its entirety since British colonialists left the subcontinent in 1947.
The latest attack marks one of the deadliest attacks following the Indian crackdown in Kashmir after the 2019 suicide bombing which left over 40 dead. The consistency and deadly nature of the rebels inside Indian-controlled Kashmir probably represents the largest catalyst to full-scale war between the two sides.
As the international community scrambles to mediate between the two sides, calling for de-escalation, the two sides seem currently trapped in a tit-for-tat military exertion of power.
The National, Maghrebi
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