Tensions Escalate Between India and Pakistan Amid Fears of Military Action
A top Pakistani official has claimed that his country has “credible intelligence” that India intends to carry out a military action against Pakistan within the next 24-36 hours. Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar made the claim in an unusual midnight post on social media, although he did not elaborate on what evidence Pakistan had used to make the claim. The assertion comes amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours over the disputed region of Kashmir.
According to CNN, Tarar’s comments were made just one week after militants massacred 26 tourists in the mountainous town of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. The attack has sparked widespread outrage in India, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi vowing to pursue the attackers “to the ends of the earth”. India has accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack, a claim Islamabad denies.
The situation is being closely watched by the international community, with both the United States and China urging restraint. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will speak to his counterparts in India and Pakistan to urge calm, possibly “as soon as today,” according to State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce. “We are reaching out to both parties, and telling, of course, them to not escalate the situation,” Bruce told reporters, quoting a statement by Rubio.
As CNN reports, Kashmir is one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints, controlled in part by India and Pakistan but claimed in its entirety by both countries. The two nuclear-armed rivals have fought three wars over the mountainous territory since their independence from Britain nearly 80 years ago. The latest attack on tourists in Kashmir has sparked fears that India might respond with military force, as it did in 2019 when it conducted airstrikes inside Pakistan following a major insurgent attack on paramilitary personnel inside Indian-administered Kashmir.
Pakistan’s Tarar on Wednesday claimed any “military adventurism by India would be responded to assuredly and decisively.” The Pakistani government has offered a neutral investigation into the Pahalgam attack, but India has yet to respond to the offer. CNN has contacted India’s defence ministry for response to Tarar’s claims.
The international community is increasingly concerned about the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. China, which also claims control of part of Kashmir and has grown closer to Pakistan in recent years, has also urged restraint. China’s foreign minister Wang Yi spoke to Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar last week, saying any conflict between Pakistan and India would “not serve the fundamental interests of each side” and posed a risk to regional security, according to state broadcaster CGTN.
In the days following the Pahalgam attack, India swiftly downgraded ties with Pakistan, cancelling visas of Pakistani nationals and suspending its participation in a crucial water-sharing pact. The Indus Water Treaty has been in force since 1960 and is regarded as a rare diplomatic success story between the two fractious neighbours. However, Islamabad has called any attempt to stop or divert water belonging to Pakistan an act of war.
As tensions continue to simmer along the Line of Control, gunfire has been exchanged along the disputed border for five straight nights. Pakistan shot down an Indian drone that was used for “espionage” in the disputed Kashmir region on Tuesday, Pakistani security sources told CNN. Two days earlier, India’s navy said it had carried out test missile strikes to “revalidate and demonstrate readiness of platforms, systems and crew for long range precision offensive strike.”
The situation remains volatile, with both India and Pakistan flexing their military might. The international community will be watching closely for any signs of further escalation, as the consequences of a full-blown conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours would be catastrophic. According to CNN, this is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Source link
