Escalating Tensions between India and Pakistan

Pakistan said Wednesday it had “credible intelligence” that India is planning an attack within days, and promised to retaliate “very strongly,” as soldiers exchanged gunfire along the Line of Control that divides the contested region of Kashmir.

Background of the Conflict

The military escalation follows a tourist terror attack in the historically strife-ridden territory of Kashmir, where gunmen opened fire, killing 26 people on April 22. A group named The Resistance Front, an offshoot of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba, has taken responsibility.

The fatal incident led to a downgrade in diplomacy between the two nations, with orders made by both Indian and Pakistani officials last week to revoke visas for their respective citizens to each other’s countries.

Islamabad was prompted to ban Indian nationals after New Delhi suspended a water-sharing treaty, the Indus Waters Treaty, between the two nations.

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Recent Developments

India also announced that it was cutting diplomatic staff and closing the only usable land border crossing between it and Pakistan.

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Pakistan calls India’s decision to suspend Indus water treaty an ‘act of war’

In response, Pakistan shut down its airspace for all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third-party country.

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Indian Response

Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh pledged Wednesday to “not only trace those who perpetrated the attack but also trace those who conspired to commit this nefarious act on our soil,” and hinted at the possibility of military strikes, according to the Associated Press.

Pakistan’s National Security Committee condemned India’s “belligerent measures.” It said that while Pakistan remained committed to peace, it would never allow anyone to “transgress its sovereignty, security, dignity and inalienable rights.”

India has since accused Islamabad of backing the tourist attack, which Pakistani authorities deny.

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Pakistan’s Response

On Saturday, Indian forces targeted homes belonging to alleged active militants through controlled explosions and searched more than 100 residences of alleged militant supporters.

Security forces demolished several civilian homes in Muran, Pulwama, following the Pahalgam attack. At least six houses of alleged active militants were turned into rubble through controlled blasts, while more than 100 residences of alleged militant supporters were searched, and hundreds of local people were detained in Kashmir on Saturday.

Danish Showkat / Getty Images

Tensions at an All-Time High

Tensions between the nuclear-armed nations are now at their highest since 2019, when they came to the brink of war following a suicide car bombing in Kashmir, according to the Associated Press.

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History of Conflict

In February of that year, India launched airstrikes targeting militants in Pakistani territory following an attack on Indian troops in Kashmir earlier that month that killed 40.

Pakistani authorities claimed the country’s air force held up Indian planes and denied reports of mass casualties.

The region is split between India and Pakistan, and both claim it in its entirety.

Pakistan says the intelligence shows that India is planning military action against it in the next 24 to 36 hours “on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement,” but did not expand on the source of the information.

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International Intervention

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in separate calls with India and Pakistan, reiterated the importance of avoiding an all-out war that “could result in tragic consequences.”

Indian soldiers launch a search operation to track the militants who kill 26 tourists in the Baisaran area in the forest area of Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on April 26, 2025.

Nasir Kachroo / Getty Images

Pakistan’s Stance

Earlier, Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said while “Pakistan will not be the first one to resort to any escalatory move,” it “will respond very strongly” to action taken by Indian authorities.

The army spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, added, “If they think that aggression is the path forward, our message is only this: We are ready, don’t test it.”

— With files from the Associated Press

Conclusion

The escalating tensions between India and Pakistan have raised concerns about the potential for an all-out war. The international community must intervene to prevent such a catastrophe.