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The fear of increased tensions between two nuclear-armed neighbors with a history of hostility has enveloped the world.
A confrontation had been brewing, as the anger had escalated to uncontainable levels.
India’s missile strikes were in reaction to the brutal assassination of people on vacation in an off-road meadow near Pahalgam, known as mini-Switzerland, in Kashmir – where militants opened fire killing 26 and injuring dozens on 22 April.
India blamed Pakistan for harboring, arming, and sheltering militant organizations whose operatives infiltrate the nearly 500-mile border in Kashmir and target the state.
Pakistan denies these accusations, asserting that it only supports the right of Kashmiris to self-determination.
But this time it was different; tourists, who were mostly spared by militants in the past, had now become the targets.
Moreover, only men were killed – in some instances executed in front of their families.
Significantly, India’s retaliation operation is dubbed “Operation Sindoor”.
Security officials stand outside a damaged building at a site of a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Pic: AP
Army soldiers examine the damage in Muzaffarabad. Pic: AP
Sindoor is the vermillion, red color a married woman wears in the middle parting of their hairline, indicating marital status. In the attack on the tourists near Pahalgam there were many who were widowed.
A few days after the killings, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “I say to the whole world India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers.
“We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth. India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done.”
India escalated the diplomatic offense revoking visas, expelling military advisers and putting on hold the crucial water-sharing treaty known as the Indus Water Treaty.
Pakistan retaliated, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the National Security Committee and passed reciprocal measures and held that the suspension of the water treaty would be considered an act of war.
The tensions between two nuclear-armed neighbors with decades of hostility and mistrust are at their worst. India and Pakistan have fought several wars and skirmishes since their independence from Britain in 1947.
Read more:
The story of India and Pakistan’s deadly conflict
A person injured in the Indian missile attack is treated in hospital in Bahawalpur, Pakistan. Pic: AP
In 2019 the two countries were on the brink. An attack by a suicide bomber on a military convoy killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers.
India blamed Pakistan for giving shelter to Islamist terrorists and conducted limited airstrikes across the border. A tense standoff between two nuclear-armed countries has lasted since.
Around a decade earlier, the Kargil War in May 1999 led to a standoff often described as a nuclear flashpoint.
Pakistani military covertly had occupied Indian posts across the line of control (LoC) – the de facto border between the Indian and Pakistani-controlled parts of Kashmir.
The war broke out and Pakistan sought the help of American President Bill Clinton in de-escalating the conflict.
There were reports of power cuts in Muzaffarabad following explosions. Pic: Reuters
Sindoor is the vermillion, red color a married woman wears in the middle parting of their hairline, signifying marital status. In the attack on the tourists near Pahalgam, there were many who were widowed.
