Threatened Response: Pakistan's PM Warns India of Counter Strikes - India's Assaults Met by Pakistani PM's Retaliation Plan Announced
Tensions Ignite: Pakistan Threatens Retaliation Against India
In response to deadly Indian attacks on Pakistani targets, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has vowed retaliation. After a heated meeting of the security cabinet, the Prime Minister declared that Pakistani forces have been authorized to take appropriate action at a time, place, and manner of their choosing.
The violence erupted after a series of armed attacks on Pakistani targets, including in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir, following a terrorist attack in the region about two weeks ago. The Indian government has been accused of involvement in the attack, which Pakistan denies.
Loss of Innocent Lives
Pakistan's military confirmed 26 deaths and 46 injuries after the attack, with women and children among the victims. Reports of a dead child in the city of Bahawalpur in eastern Pakistan further underscore the human toll of the violence. India admitted to eight fatalities in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir.
The Pakistan Army claims to have shot down five Indian jets during the attacks, which included three French Rafale fighter jets, one MiG 29, and one SU aircraft. India denies the claims as unverified.
Escalating Tensions
The latest attacks have significantly escalated tensions between the two nuclear powers, causing concern throughout the region about a potential new war. In response to the attacks, Pakistan has closed its airspace for 48 hours and suspended flight operations at Islamabad and Lahore airports indefinitely.
Years of hostility and military standoffs between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir region show no signs of abating. Experts attribute ongoing violence to the complex history between the two nations, including three major wars and numerous armed skirmishes over the regional dispute.
A Brief History
The Kashmir region has been a hotly contested territory since the 1947 partition of British India, leading to the bloody first Indo-Pak war over Kashmir in 1947-1948. Since then, the two countries have engaged in several conflicts, including the 1965 war, a 1989 insurgency, and the 1999 Kargil conflict, as well as more recent standoffs.
Efforts by international mediators, such as the United Nations and the Soviet Union, to broker peace agreements have largely been unsuccessful, with overlooked resolutions like the call for a plebiscite in 1949 never materializing. Most recently, attempts at dialogue in 2000 and 2001 failed to produce long-term peace.
High-profile incidents like the 2016 Uri Attack and Surgical Strikes, and the 2019 Pulwama Attack and Balakot Airstrikes, have brought both countries dangerously close to full-scale war.
Despite ongoing attempts to negotiate, the Kashmir conflict persists as a flashpoint between India and Pakistan, with ongoing violence and diplomatic challenges jeopardizing regional stability.
- The Commission has also been consulted on the draft directive related to the escalating tensions in Kashmir, a region at the heart of war-and-conflicts and politics, as General News continues to report.
- Meanwhile, Kashmir remains a volatile territory, a legacy of its contested history dating back to the partition of British India in 1947, marked by three major wars and numerous skirmishes, correcting the narrative of a brief history.
- In a retaliatory move, Pakistan has suspended flight operations at Islamabad and Lahore airports indefinitely, an act of retaliation that highlights the delicate balance in the region, a risk also evident in the suspected misuse of aircraft in the recent attacks.
- Facing international scrutiny, the Kashmir draft directive aims to address the general-news concerns surrounding the loss of innocent lives, a tragedy that underscores the need for the Commission's involvement in preventing such incidents in the future.
