Two nations with nuclear weapons have attacked each other and nearly no one has heard about it. India and Pakistan, two countries with a long and conflictive past, have recently seen a sharp escalation of violence in recent days.

It is centered around the Kashmir region, which is disputed territory between the two countries and has been for nearly seventy years. The region itself is home to several separate religious groups, the main two are Muslims and Hindus, while Sikhs and Buddhists also occupy the area in low numbers.

The area has always been a source of tensions but things reached a new high on February 14 when a suicide car bombing carried out by a Pakistani located terrorist group known as Jaish-E-Muhammad  killed 42 Indian soldiers.

After that, however, things continued to escalate. On February 26, India dropped bombs along the border between India and Pakistan. India claimed that it was dropping a bomb on a JeM training camp, but Pakistan has said that there is no evidence to these claims.

Soon after, two Indian fighter pilots that had crossed the border between the two states, known as the Line of Control, were shot down. Pakistan has captured and promised to release one of the pilots as an act of goodwill. The other pilot landed on the Indian side of the border and was taken care of.

Both Indian and Pakistan have nuclear weapons, but both have advocated for their desire for peace and to work together to solve the conflict between them, one large part of which includes India’s accusation that Pakistan has been aiding the terrorist group that carried out the attack. Throughout the world, from everyday citizens and from leaders of their countries.

But yet still, a majority of people don’t know about this. “I had no idea.” Kaeden Lipp (‘21) said. “It’s always going to be tense but if they’re working towards peace, I think it should be fine.”  

Lipp says that the U.S. should just state their opinion. “Once we get involved directly, that is when it goes from being their issue to a worldwide issue.”

Sources;

Choudhury, Saheli Roy. “Timeline: India and Pakistan’s Latest Confrontation over Kashmir.” CNBC, CNBC, 1 Mar. 2019, www.cnbc.com/2019/03/01/india-pakistan-conflict-timeline.html.

Guy, Jack, et al. “Why Kashmir Means so Much to Both India and Pakistan.” CNN, Cable News Network, 28 Feb. 2019, www.cnn.com/2016/09/30/asia/kashmir-explainer/index.html.

Edit: Changed Hinduism to Hindus