Muhammad Murad
India and Pakistan are on the brink of another war. The recent deadly terrorist shooting attack targeting tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on April 22 resulted in at least 27 deaths and many injuries, escalating tensions between the long-time rivals, India and Pakistan. That culminated in cross-border strikes by both sides on May 7.
The April 22 attack in Pahalgam, 90 km away from the city of Srinagar, was unusual for targeting civilian tourists on such a scale. Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of India-held Kashmir, said that “the attack was much larger than anything we have seen directed at civilians in recent years.”
The attack was condemned by leaders from the United States, the European Union, China, Pakistan and others. Responding to media queries, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said, “We are concerned at the loss of tourists’ lives in an attack in Anantnag district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. We extend our condolences to the near ones of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
In response, the Indian government claimed that Pakistan was linked to the attack without providing any concrete evidence, either to the international community or to Pakistan. New Delhi announced a series of punitive measures against Pakistan on April 23. With immediate effect, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in a major escalation. The IWT was signed by India and Pakistan in 1960 under the aegis of the World Bank and had survived three wars between the neighboring countries. New Delhi also announced that it had closed the Attari border and asked Pakistanis present in India to leave the country. Defense personnel at the Pakistani High Commission in India were also ejected, and India said announced staff at the high commission would be reduced.
Pakistan strongly denied any responsibility for the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Instead, Pakistani analysts have suggested that India’s own government was behind the killings. Senior Pakistani journalist Najam Sethi has said that he believes that the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam could be a “false flag operation,” claiming that similar incidents were used to manipulate public perception against Pakistan by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the past.
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