Diplomatic responses from India and Pakistan following ceasefire breaches; recent weeks witness increased military activity between the two nations
The Whirlwind of Hostilities: India and Pakistan's Protracted Conflict in 2025
In the tumultuous year of 2025, India and Pakistan found themselves once again embroiled in a bitter conflict that began with a heinous attack in Pahalgam, a tourist town in Indian-administered Kashmir. With a death toll of 26, including 25 Indians and a Nepali national, this incident instigated a series of retaliatory actions and escalating tensions between the two nations.
Since the late 1980s, Kashmir – a disputed region since 1947, has seen a brutal insurgency led by separatist rebels demanding independence or merger with Pakistan. However, the violence had been largely contained to clashes between insurgents and security forces in recent years. This attack marked the deadliest against civilians in the region since the turn of the century.
Pakistan vehemently denied any involvement in the attack and refrained from acknowledging responsibility. India, on the other hand, accused Islamabad of orchestrating the attack and took immediate, diplomatic action by presenting two suspects as members of the Resistance Front (TRF), believed to be linked to jihadist groups based in Pakistan. The ultranationalist Hindu government in New Delhi also froze a water-sharing treaty, closed the main border crossing, and recalled diplomats.
Pakistan countered with similar measures, such as expelling diplomats and suspending visas issued to Indians. Both nations further exacerbated tensions by closing their respective border and airspace to each other's companies. The potential for a full-blown conflict became increasingly apparent, and Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif warned of the possibility of a "full-scale war" with "serious consequences."
Exchanges of fire along the border occurred night after night, further fueling the tension. Alarmingly, both armies started conducting missile tests, raising questions about the possibility of a more significant military engagement. Pakistan publicly threatened a possible move towards all-out war if India continued its aggressive posturing.
In a controversial move, India declared a "Water War" on Pakistan, threatening to cut off the flow of rivers that originated in India but irrigated fields in Pakistan. The Indus Treaty, signed in 1960, granted New Delhi the right to use shared rivers for its dams and crops but prohibited alterations to the downstream water volume. Pakistani experts warned that even slight changes in water release timing could disrupt the planting season and reduce yield in Pakistan.
The conflict reached an unprecedented level of violence on May 6 and 7, with both nations engaging inmissile strikes targeting perceived terrorist infrastructure on each other's territory. Indian forces attacked key sites in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and Punjab province, while Pakistan retaliated with strikes on Indian airbases and military sites in Punjab and Indian-administered Kashmir. In total, the widespread violence resulted in the death of at least 45 people.
Both Pakistan and India exchanged accusations of using drone attacks, with each claiming to have neutralized the enemy's drone fleet. Social media reports indicated continued drone attacks on Indian cities; however, there was no substantial evidence to support these claims.
The international community increasingly called for de-escalation as the potential for a wider conflict grew. The United States, once Pakistan's historical ally but now favoring closer ties with India, offered mediation following initial reluctance to involve itself in the conflict. Ultimately, diplomatic efforts led to a tentative ceasefire agreement between the two nations but with the potential for renewed violence always looming.
- Despite the general news of ongoing war-and-conflicts, the French Foreign Minister issued a statement expressing concern over the developments in the protracted conflict between India and Pakistan in Kashmir, urging both nations to agree on a policy-and-legislation aimed at de-escalation.
- Amidst the complex politics surrounding the India-Pakistan conflict, the president of France offered to host peace talks, emphasizing the need for both insurgents and security forces in Kashmir to acknowledge the importance of diplomatic negotiations as a means to end the violence.
- During a press conference, a French defense expert provided insights on the ongoing developments in the India-Pakistan conflict,adding that sustained military action would negatively impact the region's general news and could potentially fan the flames of war-and-conflicts in neighboring countries.
- While discussing the impact of the India-Pakistan conflict on the global war-and-conflicts landscape, a renowned French political analyst expressed concerns that the continued fought between insurgents and security forces in Kashmir could lead to a domino effect, fueling insurgencies across various regions and further complicating policy-and-legislation efforts.
- In an effort to shed light on the implications of the India-Pakistan conflict, French media coverage extensively reported on the humanitarian crisis in Kashmir, highlighting the suffering of civilians amidst frequent insurgent attacks and aggressive military responses from both nations.
