There have been tensions between India and Pakistan since both countries came into existence in 1949. They have gone to war three times. When India developed nuclear weapons, Pakistan quickly developed them as well. They have been engaged in simmering conflict in Kashmir for decades. A few years ago, a team from Pakistan staged a terrorist attack in Mumbai. The Indians claimed that the terrorists had connections to the Pakistani intelligence service which was denied by the Pakistanis.
More recently, there have been anti-Indian protests which turned violent on the Indian side of the Line of Control in Kashmir. Pakistan criticized the Indian actions towards the protesters which prompted an angry response from India.
A few days ago, a team from Pakistan crossed the Line of Control in Kashmir near the town of Uri and killed eighteen Indian soldiers. India accused the Pakistan military of being involved. The Pakistani government rejected not just the involvement of the Pakistani military but also said that the sophisticated Indian defense system on the line of control would have prevented anyone from Pakistan from crossing into India.
India has just responded by firing artillery over the Line of Control and killing a few Pakistani soldiers. India has been charged with violating international laws but has claimed that the shelling was part of a "surgical strike" against a terrorist camp that was planning on crossing the Line of Control. This charge has been rejected by Pakistan. Charges and counter-charges are being hurled back and forth.
India has over one hundred nuclear warheads. India has short range nuclear ballistic missiles, submarine nuclear missile launch capability and jets that can deliver nuclear bombs. India has an official policy of not being the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict.
Pakistan also has over a hundred nuclear warheads. They have medium range nuclear missiles, submarine nuclear missile launch capability and jets that can deliver nuclear bombs. Pakistan has a no-first use of nuclear weapons on foreign soil in a conflict. However, they have said that they would consider the use of nuclear weapons on invaders coming into Pakistan.
The possibility of a nuclear war between India and Pakistan is increasing. Some members of the Indian public are calling for nuclear war. A member of the ruling party in the Indian Parliament has called for a nuclear attack on Pakistan. Pakistan has reacted by saying that any nuclear attack from India would be met by nuclear retaliation from Pakistan.
Pakistan has recently announced that it was going to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to the border with India. They say that if the Indians stage an attack with ground troops and conventional weapons, the Pakistanis would retaliate with the tactical nuclear weapons. Any such conflict could easily escalate into a full blown exchange of nuclear warheads.
An Indian - Pakistan nuclear war would be a disaster for both combatants and the rest of the world. It has been estimated that the detonation of a few as one hundred nuclear warheads could bring about a nuclear winter. Billions of people could starve to death and it might well end human civilization.
Kashmir:
