Washington: A nuclear war between India and Pakistan is “most likely” and the “relative calm” is not a solution as long as the two neighbours refuse to deal with their core dispute of Kashmir, the New York Times has said in an opinion piece. In the Thursday write-up, the daily’s Editorial Board said that although the India-Pakistan tensions had diffused for now, their “nuclear arsenals mean unthinkable consequences are always possible”.
The board wrote that “this relative calm is not a solution” and the US needed to get involved in defusing the tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad. “As long as India and Pakistan refuse to deal with their core dispute – the future of Kashmir – they face unpredictable, possibly terrifying, consequences.” According to the NYT, the next confrontation between the two neighbours might not end “so calmly”.
“With Pakistan’s Army most likely shaken by the Indian raid and unwilling to slide into protracted conflict, Prime Minister Imran Khan returned the pilot to India, in what was seen as a goodwill gesture, called for talks and promised an investigation into the bombing. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi took the opportunity to back off further escalation”, it said.
“The next confrontation might not end so calmly,” it added. Tensions between India and Pakistan worsened after a Kashmir suicide bombing on February 14 killed 40 CRPF troopers and was claimed by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).