India-Pakistan brinkmanship: Conflict in Kashmir escalates
At least 36 people have been killed and 94 injured due to recent Indian attacks on Pakistan and Pakistani attacks on India, according to information released on Wednesday by Indian police and the Pakistani armed forces. Global appeals are being made for both countries to take steps to stabilise the situation.
What do you need to know?
- The conflict in the Kashmir region is escalating. On 22nd April in Pahalgam, a picturesque tourist resort, an attack occurred in which at least 26 people lost their lives. The Resistance Front (TRF) organisation claimed responsibility for the attack.
- Reaction after the attack: The event has intensified the conflict between India and Pakistan.
- Escalation of tension: India has launched attacks on Pakistan. Concerns are growing that the conflict may widen, with appeals made for both sides to exercise restraint and calm the situation.
What happened between Pakistan and India?
India conducted attacks on targets in Pakistan and the Pakistani part of the disputed Kashmir region from Tuesday night into Wednesday. On both sides of the border, 36 people were killed and 94 injured.
According to Pakistani army spokesman General Ahmed Chaudhry, 26 civilians lost their lives and 46 others were injured following an Indian army strike on multiple sites in Pakistan, as well as during an exchange of fire in the Pakistani-administered part of Kashmir.
Meanwhile, Indian police reported at least 10 people were killed and 48 injured in India. According to Indian sources, artillery fire targeted, among others, the village of Poonch in Indian Kashmir, and explosions were reported near Srinagar, the largest city in Indian Kashmir.
According to Pakistani military spokesman Gen. Ahmed Sharif, Pakistan shot down five enemy aircraft in Indian airspace following their attack on Pakistani territory.
What are the most tragic consequences of the Indian attack?
Chaudhry described the losses from the Indian attack on a mosque in Bahawalpur, located in Pakistan's Punjab, as dramatic. Thirteen people, including two three-year-old girls, were killed.
The Indian attacks targeted Pakistani dams, one of which, located in Kashmir, was damaged.
What is the reaction in Pakistan?
The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned India's embassy chargé d'affaires to lodge a strong protest against what they called the Indian attack "unprovoked". The Indian diplomat was informed that this "blatant act of aggression" constitutes a clear violation of Pakistan's sovereignty. It was warned that such "dangerous behaviour" poses a serious threat to regional peace and stability.
How did the world react?
The spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated that the world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan. Guterres himself expressed concern over Indian military operations along the Line of Control and the international border, urging both countries to exercise restraint.
The governments of China, Japan, the USA, France, and Russia have called on both sides to maintain calm. The UK government has expressed readiness to take action to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan. British Trade Minister Jonathan Reynolds has declared assistance.
The Wednesday attacks mark the first military actions by India on Pakistani territory since 2019. At that time, India accused Pakistan of carrying out a suicide bombing attack on Indian paramilitary officers, and before that, since the 1971 war, India had not attacked its neighbour.
