KASHMIR has long been a flashpoint and the main reason why India and Pakistan have fought three full-scale wars since gaining independence in 1947.

It also remains the basic factor why relations between the two countries have remained sour and never normalized.

Both have different points of view as far as the issue is concerned but Pakistan’s point of view is plain and simple- implement the UN Resolutions taken in 1949 and hold plebiscite which India is persistently refusing as it knows what the outcome would be.

World once again saw both nuclear countries in deadly situation two weeks back but thanks to global reaction, wisdom prevailed but not before India learnt that it is superior technology Pakistan had, due to which India was contained.

The recent military escalation between India and Pakistan — sparked by a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, India-occupied Jammu & Kashmir — reignited fears of a wider regional conflict.

India blamed Pakistan for harbouring militant groups responsible for the attack, a claim Pakistan firmly denied.

Hostilities intensified with tit-for-tat operations.

Although a ceasefire was brokered under US diplomatic pressure, the truce remains fragile.

Should escalation resume again, this would mark the fifth major war between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

While this might appear to be a localized South Asian issue, its reverberations are felt far beyond.

In an interconnected Asia, regional flare-ups trigger cross-border ripples.

East Asia and Southeast Asia are not immune.

For China, a close ally of Pakistan and strategic rival of India, the conflict presents a diplomatic dilemma.

Stability is critical for........

© Pakistan Observer