Pakistan threatens to restore nuclear deterrence after Indian offensive in Kashmir
Following military responses from both countries, tensions have reached alarming levels, pushing Pakistan and India towards open war.
Twenty-two days have passed since a terrorist attack killed 26 civilians in Kashmir, one of the most militarised regions on the planet, triggering military attacks, the shooting down of planes and drones, and bellicose statements by the defence ministers of both nuclear powers, causing millions of people to flee to areas of the country furthest from the conflict.
India initially blamed Pakistan-based Islamist militant groups for the attack and responded with Operation Sindoor, a series of air strikes on terrorist camps in the Pakistan-controlled part of Kashmir. However, Pakistani authorities said the strikes had affected civilians, an act for which Pakistan promised retaliation.
Pakistan and the ‘right to restore nuclear deterrence’
Rashid Wali, a former Pakistani army brigadier, told Al Jazeera that Islamabad will seek to re-establish its nuclear deterrence, stating that India has acted with ‘unacceptable recklessness for a nuclear power.’
According to Wali, Pakistan's response will be ‘proportionate and focused on military targets,’ and he denounced that Pakistan has been the target of ‘spurious accusations,’ despite having offered cooperation in an international investigation.
These statements come at a time when Pakistan's top brass believe that the country's security, according to Interior Minister Mohsin Maqvi himself, ‘will not be compromised’ and described the Indian attacks as ‘aerial terrorism and a violation of all international norms.’
Along the same lines, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned that the confrontation could quickly escalate and accused India of carrying out 78 air raids and shooting down five Indian aircraft, without confirming any casualties.
Asif also suggested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ‘is using the conflict to divert attention from the country's internal problems’.
India, for its part, has deployed additional army units and carried out nationwide civil defence drills, such as Operation Abhyaas, in 244 districts, in anticipation of possible large-scale war scenarios.
Exchanges of fire and civil panic
The exchange of bullets, drones and missiles between India and Pakistan means that 21.2% of the world's population is now at war. The displacement predicted by the Indian government exceeds any migration in human history.
Over the last few nights, artillery and drone fire exchanges have intensified along the Line of Control (LoC), the militarised border between the two countries in the Kashmir region.
The city of Jammu, with a population of over 1.3 million, experienced scenes of total war. Power cuts, planes fighting in the skies and air raid sirens created a climate of fear and total hysteria among the population. ‘We never thought that in a city as peaceful as Jammu we would see something like this,’ Aqib Parray, a father who has lived in the city for more than 20 years, told Al-Jazeera.
India has ordered increased security for its strategic infrastructure, including ports, airport terminals and shipyards, and has suspended more than 100 flights at 24 airports across the country. The aim is to prevent possible attacks or sabotage while the military confrontation with Pakistan continues.
However, following the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, the only source of water for more than 250 million Pakistanis, Islamabad has described it as a ‘casus belli’. The breakdown of this treaty, signed in 1960, marks a historic rift between India and Pakistan.