India and Pakistan: A Conflict Decades in the Making

 Tensions between India and Pakistan are at the highest they have been in some time.  A terrorist attack on tourists in Indian controlled Kashmir left over 20 people dead, most of whom were Hindu.  The group believed to be responsible for the attack is a Pakistani organization opposed to the settlement of Indians in Kashmir.  In response, the Indian government accused the Pakistani government of being involved with the attacks, a claim which Pakistan denies.  India implemented multiple retaliatory actions, including canceling all visas of Pakistani nationals, withdrawing diplomatic workers back to India, and withdrawing from a water treaty with Pakistan.  It is yet to be seen if any military action will be taken, although there have been light skirmishes in disputed Kashmir.  How do we understand the tension between India and Pakistan?  Where does it go from here?

To fully understand modern tensions between the two countries, understanding the impact colonization had on them is crucial.  After British colonization ended in India in 1947, the British partitioned the country into what are now Pakistan and India.  The partition created the largest mass migration in history, and it uprooted various groups of people who had been living there for generations.  Religion also played a large role into the partition, with Muslims mass migrating to, at the time, West and East Pakistan; East Pakistan now being Bangladesh.  Hindus and Sikhs on the other hand migrated to and within India.  Violence between these groups erupted ferociously, and the toll on lives and the collective psyche of the Indian sub-continent were enormous.  Well over one million people died, and the legacy of the partition, and the brutality of British colonization continues to impact how Pakistan and India co-exist.

Perhaps the biggest flashpoint for violence in contemporary times is Kashmir.  Kashmir is a region in South Asia that both Pakistan and India claim complete sovereignty over, although they each control only a portion of the territory.  Skirmishes have broken out in Kashmir in the past, conflict is not unheard of in the region.  The recent terrorist attack on tourists makes the situation even more complex.  The international community, including the United States, European Union, the United Kingdom, and China, have urged both parties to maintain restraint and rely on diplomacy to resolve the issues between them.  Diplomacy is paramount, since both countries are nuclear armed states.  This has stopped major escalations in the past, but Pakistan believes India may retaliate militarily.

There are mediation efforts currently in place to promote a peaceful resolution to the grievances present between India and Pakistan.  It is yet to be seen how these will play out, but diplomacy must be the first option for each side.  Nuclear deterrence is indeed a real phenomenon, and it is unlikely that nuclear confrontation will occur in this case, as this does not suit the near term or long term interests of either country.  Regardless, peace talks and mediation are critical aspects to maintaining the international order.  The attack was a horrific massacre of innocent people, and India has every right to be outraged.  However, that outrage should be used in a constructive fashion, where the region can avoid conflict, and those responsible are held accountable.

Sources:

Shashkevich, Alex. “Partition of 1947 Continues to Haunt India, Pakistan.” Stanford Report, March 8, 2019. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2019/03/partition-1947-continues-haunt-india-pakistan-stanford-scholar-says.

Dalrymple, William. “The Mutual Genocide of Indian Partition.” The New Yorker, June 22, 2015. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/06/29/the-great-divide-books-dalrymple.

Starcevic, Seb. “EU Steps in as ‘alarming’ India-Pakistan Tensions Rise.” POLITICO, May 2, 2025. https://www.politico.eu/article/india-pakistan-pahalgam-kashmir-attack-tensions-eu-kaja-kallas/.