India and Pakistan are again by the edge – and the world cannot afford another war.
After the devastating wars in Ukraine and Gaza, the last thing the world needs is another conflict – in particular between two rivals of nuclear weapons. However, we are there, looking at India and Pakistan again by dangerously based on war against cashmere.
What’s going on now?
Two weeks after a deadly attack on the cashmere tourists administered by the Indians, Indian launched air strikes inside Pakistan and the cashmere administered by Pakistan in a military operation, he nicknamed “the Sindoor operation”.
According to the Ministry of Defense of India, strikes were an answer to the militant attack on April 22 in the popular city of Pahalgam, where 25 Indian nationals and a Nepalese tourist were slaughtered. India claims that its strikes have targeted “terrorist infrastructure” used to plan such attacks. Delhi insists that strikes were “measured” and deliberately avoided hitting Pakistani military sites.
But Pakistan depicts a very different image. The officials say that the actions of India were not caused and struck civilian areas. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described it as a “deed of odious assault” and warned that it would not be unanswered.
The next day, tensions quickly increased:
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Pakistan says five Indian planes and a drone have been slaughtered.
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India has not responded to these statements.
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The Pakistani army says 26 people were killed and dozens injured in Indian strikes.
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India, in turn, says that seven civilians died due to Pakistani bombing of reprisals to the cashmere administered by the Indians.
Where were the strikes?
India says that it has struck nine sites, all described as sites where attacks were “planned and directed”. These include cashmere areas administered by Pakistan and Pakistan proper.
Pakistan says that the struck areas include:
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Muzaffarabad And Kotli (Cashmere administered by Pakistan)
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Bahawalpur (Punjab province, Pakistan)
While India insists that they were terrorist camps, Pakistan argues that these were civil zones, accusing India of making the justification of strikes.
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Why did India hit?
The immediate trigger was the attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, the worst civil massacre of cashmere in 20 years. The survivors say that the activists selectively targeted the Hindus – a frightening detail that shocked India.
Although no group has claimed responsibility and India did not officially appoint an author, Indian police alleged that two of the attackers were Pakistani nationals. Delhi has long accused Islamabad of having supported militant groups that operate in cashmere – an assertion that Pakistan still denies.
The Indian Prime Minister Narendra amended rapid reprisals, saying that the attackers would be punished “beyond their imagination”. These air strikes are positioned by India as exactly that – a signal of strength and deterrence.
But if strength is the goal, where does it end?
The flashpoint of cashmere: a story of blood and blame
Cashmere is no stranger to blood effusions. Since the partition of British India in 1947, India and Pakistan have fought two wars in the region – and countless skirmishes.
The two countries claim cashmere in their entirety but control different parts. On the ground, the region has experienced decades of armed insurrection, a strong military presence and regular violence targeting both soldiers and civilians.
The revocation of India of article 370 in 2019 – which deleted the semi -autonomous status of the region – was a turning point. While this decision has aroused international criticism and sparked demonstrations, the region has also seen a sharp drop in militant activity and a tourism boom.
But with Pahalgam’s attack, the old ghosts reveal themselves. Violence threatens to cancel years of relative calm.
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How close to war are we?
Dangerously close.
This is not the first time that India has launched strikes through the control line (LOC), the de facto border in cashmere. Similar actions followed Uri’s attack in 2016 and the bombing of Pulwama in 2019, when 40 Indian paramilitary staff were killed, which prompted India to hit Balakot, Pakistan.
These incidents brought the countries to the edge, but the war was avoided closely.
This time, the risk is greater. The two nations bend military power. The borders are tense. Diplomats were expelled. Civilians die again.
And let’s not forget – India and Pakistan are nuclear power.
The world cannot afford another war
Ukraine. Gaza. Sudan. Yemen. The world is already drowning with violence. The last thing the planet needs is another devastating war, especially between nations with nuclear arsenals and deep animosity.
Where are the craftsmen of peace? Where is the urgency in diplomatic circles?
Until now, the international response has been attenuated:
It’s not good enough.
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Diplomacy, not dog fights
India has the right to defend its citizens. Pakistan has the right to reject the baseless charges. But both must recognize the catastrophic price of climbing.
World leaders must do more than “hope” for peace. They must actively put pressure on the two nations to defuse, investigate the attack on pahalgams through international channels and return to dialogue.
We cannot normalize the air strikes. We cannot normalize the Tit-For-Tat bombings. And we cannot afford another front in the World War area.
The world bleeds. Diplomacy is the only bandage.