{"id":47912,"date":"2025-04-24T00:14:08","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T04:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/after-militant-attack-in-kashmir-pakistan-braces-for-strike-by-india\/24\/04\/2025\/"},"modified":"2025-04-24T00:14:08","modified_gmt":"2025-04-24T04:14:08","slug":"after-militant-attack-in-kashmir-pakistan-braces-for-strike-by-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/after-militant-attack-in-kashmir-pakistan-braces-for-strike-by-india\/24\/04\/2025\/","title":{"rendered":"After Militant Attack in Kashmir, Pakistan Braces for Strike by India"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Pakistani government struck a measured tone after militants killed more than two dozen Indian civilians in Kashmir on Tuesday, insisting that it has no interest in seeing tensions with India escalate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But across Pakistan, people are watching with growing concern as Indian officials hint at the possibility of military strikes, and the television airwaves have been filled with defense analysts warning of unpredictable consequences if hostilities between the nuclear-armed neighbors intensify.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Indian government has not officially identified any group as being behind the attack in a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/23\/world\/asia\/kashmir-pahalgam-attack-victims.html\" title=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">scenic tourist area<\/a> of Indian-administered Kashmir. But it announced a flurry of <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/23\/world\/asia\/kashmir-attack-india-pakistan.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&amp;referringSource=articleShare\" title=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">punitive measures<\/a> against Pakistan on Wednesday, including the suspension of a critical water treaty, in answer to what it said was Pakistan\u2019s support of terrorist attacks inside India.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">After the Indian announcement, Pakistan said it was scheduling a meeting of the National Security Committee, the country\u2019s highest decision-making forum on security and foreign policy, for Thursday to formulate a response.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The attack in Kashmir, a region both countries claim and have fought wars over, set off a familiar pattern.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Indian news media, which is largely aligned with the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, quickly pointed a finger at Pakistan. Pakistan denied involvement and accused India of trying to deflect attention from security lapses in the restive region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The last militant attack of this scale in the Indian part of Kashmir took place in 2019, when dozens of Indian security personnel were killed. After that assault, India <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2019\/02\/26\/world\/asia\/india-pakistan-kashmir-airstrikes.html\" title=\"\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">launched an air battle<\/a> that stopped just short of all-out war.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Some Pakistani analysts warn that the current confrontation could intensify beyond the 2019 standoff. \u201cIndian escalation already began last night, and it will be at a bigger scale than February 2019,\u201d Syed Muhammad Ali, a security analyst in Islamabad, said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He claimed that India was using the attack to seek solidarity with the United States and defuse tensions over President Trump\u2019s threat of tariffs, as well as to reframe the push for independence in Kashmir as a terrorist movement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As of Wednesday, Pakistani officials said they had seen no evidence of an Indian military mobilization. They said that the Pakistani military remained alert along the Line of Control separating the Indian- and Pakistani-administered parts of Kashmir.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A senior Pakistani security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic and military matters, said that Pakistan would approach any tit-for-tat escalation carefully but would thwart incursions by India if they occurred.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Some military analysts and current and former officials accused India of staging the attack, noting that it had come while Vice President JD Vance was visiting India.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey\u2019re blaming Pakistan without proof,\u201d Ahmed Saeed Minhas, a retired brigadier general, said on the television channel Geo News.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He then made a joke about the 2019 standoff between Pakistan and India, when a video emerged of an Indian Air Force pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, sipping tea while in Pakistani custody.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIf India tries anything again, they should remember \u2014 we served tea to Abhinandan in 2019,\u201d Mr. Minhas said. \u201cThis time, we might even offer him biscuits.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The current tensions have revived memories of the 2019 episode.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A suicide bombing that February in the city of Pulwama prompted an Indian airstrike inside Pakistan, triggering a dogfight. An Indian jet was shot down, and Wing Commander Varthaman was captured and later released \u2014 a gesture that helped cool tensions, if briefly.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Officials say the current situation differs from 2019. While the Pulwama attack was claimed by the militant Islamist group Jaish-e-Mohammed and targeted security personnel, the one on Tuesday involved unarmed civilians, and any claims of responsibility have been vague and unverified.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">So far, the Pakistani military has made no public statement about Tuesday\u2019s attack. The Foreign Ministry on Wednesday condemned the loss of life, denied any role by Pakistan and urged India to avoid \u201cpremature and irresponsible allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Officials and analysts warn that while the region avoided catastrophe in 2019, that good fortune may not repeat itself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cDuring the last escalation, both India and Pakistan were lucky to step down from the ladder,\u201d said Murtaza Solangi, a former interim information minister.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThis time, we\u2019re in a more dangerous phase,\u201d he said. \u201cA fractured global order and India\u2019s hyperventilating media make it harder for Modi to act rationally. Both countries will be net losers if India doesn\u2019t stop this madness.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/24\/world\/asia\/pakistan-india-kashmir-attack.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pakistani government struck a measured tone after militants killed more than two dozen Indian civilians in Kashmir on Tuesday, insisting that<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/after-militant-attack-in-kashmir-pakistan-braces-for-strike-by-india\/24\/04\/2025\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47913,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/04\/23\/multimedia\/23pakistan-kashmir-1-jpgk\/23pakistan-kashmir-1-jpgk-facebookJumbo.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47912"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47912"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47912\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}