Tensions Heat Up At The Top of the World

A BBC report on 14 November 2016 quoted Pakistani sources as saying seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in the disputed Kashmir region. The clash occurred on Sunday13 November. The Times of India reported on 15 November that for its part, India is only responding to Pakistani provocations, and that India does not initiate such confrontations. The Times also noted that the conflict has begun to escalate in that both sides are employing heavy weapons such as artillery, heavy mortars and missiles.

The Kashmir region has been in dispute since the India-Pakistan partition in 1947. An Islamist insurgency emerged in 1989 to further complicate the situation. There has been no real progress in negotiations between the Indians and the Pakistanis in the recent past. The situational stalemate continues, and this autumn sporadic fighting like Sunday’s action has occurred. The question is: will these two nuclear-armed powers keep the uneasy status quo, or will they allow tensions to escalate to a wider war? Please log in and give us your thoughts.

Photo:India Today