Nuclear rivals have huge military resources

A DEADLY attack in the contested Kashmir region has prompted fears of spiralling conflict between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan.

- 

New Delhi, which accuses Pakistan of backing the attack, has not yet taken military action.

But Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the Indian army “complete operational freedom” to respond. Pakistan, which denies responsibility, has vowed to retaliate against “any act of aggression”.

The worst recent attack in Indian-run Kashmir was at Pulwama in 2019, when a suicide bomber rammed a car packed with explosives into a security forces convoy, killing 40 and wounding 35. Indian fighter jets carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory 12 days later.

Troops are now facing off along the 770km fortified Line of Control — the route of a ceasefire line dating back to 1949.

India and Pakistan have fought over the Muslim-majority region since their partition at the end of British rule in 1947 while insurgents in Indian-run Kashmir have battled since 1989 seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan. Both countries trade accusations of arming groups in each other’s territory to cause instability.

India, a Hindu-majority nation with 1.4 billion people, and Pakistan, a Muslim-majority nation with 240 million citizens, both have nuclear weapons, and their militaries are among the largest in the world.

Pakistan’s main weapons supplier is China, Islamabad’s closest regional ally, as well sourcing drones from Türkiye.