ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — India and Pakistan have fought three full-scale wars since they gained independence from British India in 1947. They’ve additionally had dozens of skirmishes and conflicts, together with one atop a glacier dubbed the coldest and highest-altitude battlefield on the planet.
The newest escalation follows a deadly gun attack on tourists that India blames Pakistan for — Islamabad denies any connection. However they don’t battle wars like different international locations.
The dominant issue is their nuclear weapons arsenal, a definite method of deterring main assaults and a assure that combating doesn’t get out of hand, even when the scenario is spiraling.
Right here’s how — and why — Pakistan battle the best way they do:
Their nuclear arsenals can destroy one another
“Pakistan and India have sufficient nuclear weapons to wipe the opposite aspect out a number of occasions over,” says safety analyst Syed Mohammed Ali, who relies in Islamabad, the Pakistani capital. “Their nuclear weapons create a situation for mutually assured destruction.”
Each international locations have “intentionally developed” the dimensions and vary of their stockpile to remind the opposite in regards to the assure of mutually assured destruction, he provides.
Neither nation discloses their nuclear capabilities however every is assumed to have between 170 and 180 warheads which might be short-, long- and medium-range. Each international locations have completely different supply programs — methods of launching and propelling these weapons to their targets.
The arsenals are a defensive transfer to stop and deter additional combating, as a result of “neither aspect can afford to provoke such a warfare or hope to realize something from it,” Ali says.
It may not look this technique to the outsider, however nuclear weapons are a reminder to the opposite aspect that they cannot take issues too far.
Kashmir on the crux of the dispute
India and Pakistan have every laid declare to Kashmir since 1947, when each gained independence, and border skirmishes have created instability within the area for many years. Every nation controls part of Kashmir, which is split by a closely militarized border.
The 2 archrivals have additionally fought three wars over Kashmir, the place armed insurgents resist Indian rule. Many Muslim Kashmiris assist the rebels’ aim of uniting the territory, both below Pakistani governance or as an unbiased nation.
Border flare-ups and militant assaults in India-controlled Kashmir have prompted New Delhi to take an more and more powerful place on Islamabad, accusing it of “terrorism.”
Within the newest battle, India punished Pakistan by hitting what it stated had been websites utilized by Pakistan-backed militants linked to a gun bloodbath final month.
A traditional army imbalance
India is likely one of the greatest defence spenders on the planet, with $74.4 billion in 2025, based on the Army Stability report from the Worldwide Institute for Strategic Research. It’s additionally one of many world’s largest arms importers.
Pakistan is not any slouch, spending $10 billion final yr, however it could by no means match India’s deep pockets. India additionally has greater than double the variety of lively armed forces personnel than Pakistan does.
Whereas India’s armed forces are historically targeted on Pakistan, it has one other nuclear neighbor to deal with, China, and it’s more and more involved with maritime safety within the Indian Ocean. These are two elements that Pakistan doesn’t have to contemplate in its safety paradigm.
Pakistan’s lengthy and slim form, along with the outsized function of the army in overseas coverage, makes it simpler to maneuver the armed forces round and prioritize protection.
A sample of escalation and defusing
Neither Pakistan or India are in a rush to announce their army strikes in opposition to the opposite and, as seen within the present flare-up of hostilities, it could take some time for affirmation of strikes and retaliation to floor.
However each launch operations into territories and airspace managed by the opposite. Typically these are supposed to break checkpoints, installations, or websites allegedly utilized by militants.
They’re additionally aimed toward embarrassing or scary — forcing leaders to bow to public stress and reply, with the potential for miscalculation.
Many of those actions originate alongside the Line of Management, which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. It is largely inaccessible to the media and public, making it laborious to independently confirm claims of an assault or retaliation.
Such incidents increase worldwide alarm, as a result of each international locations have nuclear capabilities, forcing consideration again to India and Pakistan and, finally, their competing claims over Kashmir.
The concern of nuclear warfare has put the 2 international locations on the high of the agenda, competing with the papal conclave, U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies, and the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial within the information cycle.
No want for conquest, affect or assets
Pakistan and India’s battles and skirmishes are away from the general public eye.
Strikes and retaliation are late at night time or early within the morning and, except for the drone assaults on Thursday, they largely happen away from densely populated city facilities. It exhibits that neither nation has the need to considerably hurt the opposite’s inhabitants. Assaults are both described as surgical or restricted.
Neither nation is motivated by competitors for assets. Pakistan has large mineral wealth, however India is not considering these and, whereas there are stark ideological variations between Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, they don’t search management or affect over the opposite.
Aside from Kashmir, they’ve little interest in claiming the opposite’s territory or exercising dominance.
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