Trapped between two warring nuclear giants, the people of Kashmir continue to suffer

TENSIONS between India and Pakistan escalated this week after India launched missile strikes on its long-time rival, killing more than 30 people.

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India was retaliating for a terror attack on tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22, which killed 26 civilians, most of them Indian. New Delhi has blamed a Pakistan-based militant group for the incident.

Pakistan has vowed revenge for the airstrikes, calling them an “act of war”.

If a full-scale war does break out between the two nuclear powers, it wouldn't be the first time they have fought over the disputed region of Kashmir. In fact, the two sides have been in conflict over Kashmir since 1947.

The people of Kashmir, meanwhile, are stuck in the middle of this geopolitical rivalry, trapped in a security state with little hope for the future.

Before the attack on the tourists last month, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government had made repeated claims that "normalcy" was returning to the region.

However, Kashmir remains one of the most heavily militarised zones in the world and the people have long suffered human rights abuses the Indian government has justified on the grounds of counter-terrorism.

In 2019, the Modi government revoked Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which had granted a special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir, along with a high degree of autonomy.