South Asia is back to the edge, possibly heading for yet another prolonged period of standoff and uncertainty.
Indian officials have claimed to carry out a surgical strike against what it calls militant target along Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region, adding to war hysteria in India.
Pakistan has dismissed Indian claims, saying two of its soldiers near LoC in Kashmir by the Indian firing, while its forces killed eight Indian soldiers and have also captured one personnel.
The overnight September 29 exchange of fire has dipped stock exchanges in both countries, and people are wondering what will be next.
While Director General Military Operations Lt. General Ranbir Singh has claimed to have carried out a surgical strike across Line of Control in Azad Jammu and Kashmi, Islamabad has termed it Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attempt to befool the Indians.
“The notion of surgical strike linked to alleged terrorists bases is an illusion being deliberately generated by Indian to create false effects,” a Pakistan military statement said.
“This quest by the Indian establishment to create media hype by rebranding cross-border fire as a surgical strike is fabrication of the truth. Pakistan has made it clear that if there is a surgical strike on Pakistani soil, the same will be strongly responded.”
The Pakistan Air Force said Pakistan’s airspace would be safeguarded at any cost.
Firing across Kashmir LoC began at 2:30 am and continued till 8:00am in the Bhimber, Hotspring, Kel and Lipa sectors in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, a statement by Inter Services Public Relations said.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that nine soldiers were injured during the incident, and added that small firearms were used to respond in a ‘befitting manner’.
Indian authorities have ordered the evacuation of villages in Punjab near the Pakistan border amid fears of war with Pakistan, The Hindustan Times reported
Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria in a statement said, “India’s falsified, concocted, and irresponsible statements can only escalate the already-fragile security situation in the region.”
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident. “Our intent for a peaceful neighbourhood should not be mistaken as our weakness,” Sharif said, who this week had a meeting with top national security advisors and Army Chief General Raheel Sharif .
The situation in Kashmir has deteriorated sharply since widespread protests erupted in Indian controlled Kashmir. Close to 100 people have been killed in Kashmir.
According to The Washington Post hundreds more have been blinded and injured by Indian military firing pellet guns.
The Kashmir situation plunged further with an attack on an Indian military base in Uri. New Delhi quickly blamed Pakistan for the attack that left 17 Indian soldiers dead. The two countries also clashed at the UN General Assembly session. India called Pakistan a state sponsor of terror and Islamabad accused India of committing state terror in the disputed Kashmir territory under New Delhi’s control.
The tensions on the Line of Control have heightened concerns in all the world capitals. The United Nations, Washington and Beijing have urged Pakistan and India to resolve their differences over Kashmir through dialogue.
In Washington, White House, Press Secretary Josh Earnest urged India and Pakistan at a recent briefing to “resolve the differences peacefully and through diplomacy”.
