Kashmir: A deadly spark has been lit into a controversial region
« Do not play with the fire » is the essence of the message which on Wednesday reached Islamabad and New Delhi from many directions.
The UN and the leaders of the outside world urge India and Pakistan to maximum mastery, when one of the world’s most difficult conflicts flames up with the worst violence in two decades.
Concerns are justified. It takes so little to make the region be thrown into war and bloody violence between two nuclear powers.
Really have it never Been calm for some time in Kashmir since 1947, when India and Pakistan were formed and Kashmir became a region that both wanted to rule.
Two full -scale wars, lots of clashes, suicide bombers, terrorist attacks and tens of thousands killed have followed in the tracks. Sometimes a few years of relative tranquility, but always with the danger of a rapidly flare near the surface.
In 2019, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the step to abolish self -government for the Indian part of Kashmir. It was a big step in the region’s contemporary history, which was met by strong criticism and demonstrations at home – but also by growing tourist flows.
Kashmir is a tourist paradise with snow -capped mountain peaks, last year with a boom in the number of visitors, which rose to three million in the Indian part. A success for Modi.
In 2025, it looked to be a thriving year for tourism. The hotels were fully booked. Anyone who went in and asked questions on tourist sites in early April if it was safe to go to Kashmir got the answer that it is certainly in most places.
So became 26 tourists Brutally killed on a desolate meadow two weeks ago. Almost exclusively Indians. It was the worst attack in Kashmir against civilians in a quarter of a century. The terrorists made sure that almost all victims were Hindus by forcing them to talk about what they were called. And by checking if they could recite Islamic verses.
Then: The Indian Prime Minister’s anger over the attack. He even gave a speech in English, which is not common, where he promised to hunt and punish every terrorist and their supporters at the end of the world. India pointed out Pakistan to be behind.
After similar attacks in Kashmir 2016 and 2019, but against military targets, India responded with air attacks and troops on the ground in the Pakistani part of Kashmir.
Recently, Prime Minister Modi has spoken to dozens of leaders in the world on the phone. He is reported to have argued for an Indian attack on his neighbor and arch rival. As deterrent.
But of course also because he does not want to look weak at home.
India has said They have evidence of Pakistan’s involvement in the act. Pakistan’s government has denied the state’s involvement and urged India to present the evidence they have.
India has pointed to previous patterns and talked about Pakistan’s support for terrorism in Kashmir.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has now promised retaliation. He calls the Indian attacks the night before Wednesday against places in Pakistan and in the Pakistani part of Kashmir for « unprovoked abominable aggressions ».
In practice, the dividing line in Kashmir acts as a boundary between India and Pakistan. Residents are now waiting on both sides tense on the next step in the conflict. It also makes large parts of the rest of the world.
What happens next can determine which direction the conflict takes. The countries are trying to discourage their neighbor from further attacks. But without stepping up the situation to the extent that they lose the grip on it. It is as it is with two nuclear powers involved. No one wants war but pride, nervousness, misunderstanding and human mistakes poses a risk that it is not entirely possible to count on.
