Kashmir in Crisis: The Current India-Pakistan Conflict

Makayla Bangoura 

Overview 

On April 22, 2025, five militants opened fire on a group of tourists in Phaglam, a city in the Kashmir region. This attack killed 26 people, making it one of the worst acts of terrorism against civilians in decades. The Indian government promptly assigned blame to their neighboring state, Pakistan, who refused to claim responsibility for the attack. Since the attack, India and Pakistan have exchanged cross-border strikes, pushing these long-time enemy states on the verge of conflict with each other. Given that India and Pakistan are nuclear-weapons states, their shared conflict may cause ripple effects across the globe. 

Background 

The Kashmir Region lies to the east of Pakistan and the north of India. Since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947, the region has been the center of conflict between India and Pakistan; three wars have resulted from the border dispute between the two countries. India and Pakistan both claim the entire disputed territory as part of their respective states, but they each only legally control part of the territory. However, the recent conflict between the two states has brought the underlying border tensions to the surface and has been the worst intensification of military conflict between India and Pakistan since their last full-fledged war in 1971. The threat of these tensions erupting into a nuclear conflict is a worry that remains prominent among civilians and government officials in the region. India and Pakistan each have around 170 nuclear weapons in their arsenals, and the accessibility of these weapons has led these states to establish unwritten rules to prevent nuclear escalation. However, as conflict continues, these past understandings have been destabilized. According to the Arms Control Center, a minor use of nuclear weapons between India and Pakistan has the potential to kill twenty million people in one week, bringing with it a subsequent nuclear winter that could affect two billion people across the globe.  

Council of Foreign Relations Senior fellow Manjari Chatterjee stated that, for over forty years, the Indian government has accused Pakistan of “supporting international Islamist terrorist groups operating inside of Kashmir.” This accusation includes terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and its proxy organization, The Resistance Front (TRF), which is based within the Kashmir Valley. LeT is an Islamist extremist organization that operates in Pakistan and was founded in the 1980s, following the Soviet invasion, with financial support from al-Qaeda's leader, Osama bin Laden. TRF was later created in 2019 in response to the suspension of Article 370 in India’s constitution, granting autonomy to the region as a symbol of resistance to the act. TRF claimed responsibility for the April attacks, which left India viewing Pakistan responsible for allowing LeT to operate within their borders and carry out attacks alongside TRF.  

Deadly military exchanges between the two countries have been occurring since the terrorist attacks took place, along with the weakening of mutual diplomatic ties. India and Pakistan first dismissed diplomatic representatives from the opposite state. Then, India canceled visas for nationals from Pakistan; Pakistan quickly did the same. During this conflict, Pakistan shot down roughly 25 drones from India that were allegedly being used for espionage. On May 7, the Indian military launched a series of air strikes into Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, killing many civilians—including the family members of a top Pakistani militant chief. Government officials in Pakistan have reported that India’s strikes targeted mosques and harmed civilians across Pakistan and parts of Pakistani territory in Kashmir.  

Global Response 

World leaders and policy officials reacted strongly to the terrorist attack that took place on April 22. President Trump extended the support of the U.S. to India, and Vladimir Putin condemned the attacks and issued his condolences. The President of the European Commission followed suit. The leaders have also been urging India and Pakistan to broker a ceasefire agreement in order to put an end to the conflict. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with the leaders of both India and Pakistan and voiced the importance of de-escalation in the region. 

The United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, was also one of the prominent global policy figures who condemned the militant attacks in Phaglam. As for military conflict that has transpired following the attacks, Gutierres called for a de-escalation of conflict and increasing military restraints in the region, stating that “a military solution is no solution” and that “the world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan.” International non-governmental organizations, such as Amnesty International, have acknowledged the humanitarian effects that have resulted from this conflict, stressing the importance of protecting civilian lives. Amnesty International also stated that India and Pakistan have an obligation to uphold International Law and avoid targeting civilians in their attacks. This statement comes after India administered airstrikes into Pakistan, killing at least thirty-one civilians and injuring at least fifty-one civilians.  

On May 11, 2025, the United States aided in negotiating a ceasefire between the two states. This ceasefire agreement states that the two parties are required to immediately halt all military operations taking place by “land, air, and sea” in Kashmir and across-the-border strikes in India and Pakistan. However, despite the ceasefire, there have been reports of continued strikes across the border. India accused Pakistan of violating the agreement after explosions occurred in cities across Indian-administered Kashmir, but Pakistan denied this accusation. The stability of the truce remains in doubt as tensions persist. 

Conclusion 

The fragile ceasefire agreement between these states remains held in place, but the threat of militant attacks persists in the region and has the potential to reignite conflict between these two nuclear-armed states. Continued conflict in India, Pakistan, and Kashmir may have detrimental effects on civilians in the region and broader global implications if the turmoil is not brought to a proper end through a strong ceasefire agreement.