The tense situation in the Indo-Pakistani region triggered by the Kashmir terror attack is rapidly deteriorating. It has been confirmed that small-scale clashes have broken out continuously for five nights along the border since the evening of February 25 local time, but the "highly tense" situation between the two armies may further worsen in the coming days.

The Government of Punjab, India, released a statement on March 30 stating that it will deploy anti-drone systems in areas near the Pakistan border in the province. The statement said, "With this technology, Indian police and security agencies can now immediately track and destroy the invasion of Pakistani drones."

According to reports from the CCTV News Client citing official Pakistani media, Pakistani officials confirmed on March 30 that they had detected Indian Air Force jets taking off over the Kashmir region the previous night. The Pakistani Air Force jets immediately took off to confront them. A Pakistani military official stated that on the night of February 29 to March 30, the Pakistani Air Force detected four Indian Air Force "Rafale" fighter jets taking off for patrol in the Indian-controlled Kashmir airspace. The Pakistani Air Force jets quickly took action, and the Indian military jets subsequently fled.

It is worth noting that local media reported that if flying from the actual control line in Kashmir towards Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, the "Rafale" fighter jets could reach their destination in just about 3.5 minutes at top speed.

At midnight on March 30 local time, Pakistani Information and Broadcasting Minister Ataulah Talal stated that Pakistan had obtained reliable intelligence indicating that India planned to carry out a military operation against Pakistan within 24 to 36 hours, using groundless accusations as an excuse. Talal stated that any military adventurism by India would be met with firm and decisive retaliation by Pakistan.

On February 29, the Indian military claimed that the Indian and Pakistani armies had clashed for the fifth consecutive night along the actual control line in the Kashmir region. Pakistan did not confirm the clashes mentioned by India, but the official radio station of Pakistan reported on February 29 that Pakistan had shot down an Indian drone that had intruded into its airspace in the Kashmir region.

Another Pakistani military official stated that Islamabad International Airport was temporarily closed due to an unknown severe security alert from 11:48 PM to 12:21 AM local time on February 29 to March 1, affecting three civilian flights that were urgently halted from taking off or landing.

Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority officials confirmed that two round-trip flights between Islamabad and the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region's Skardu, as well as two round-trip flights between Skardu and the regional capital Gilgit, were canceled due to emergency security reasons on March 30.

Pakistan's Defense Minister Asif said on February 28 that the tensions between Pakistan and India might escalate, and India might "invade" Pakistan in a short period. However, he believed that the situation would not escalate to nuclear war: "India and Pakistan are both nuclear states, but I do not believe that the situation will develop to this extent."

On April 29, 2025, local time in Srinagar, the capital of the Indian-controlled Kashmir region, after the shooting incident, Indian soldiers strengthened their vigilance. IC Photo

This latest flare-up in the Indo-Pakistani dispute was triggered by a terror attack that occurred on April 22 in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region: suspected militants opened fire on tourists in the area, resulting in at least 26 deaths and dozens of injuries. This incident has become the deadliest terrorist attack in the region since the Pulwama attack in 2019, sparking concerns about another military confrontation between India and Pakistan.

After the incident, the Indian government accused Pakistan of supporting "cross-border terrorism" and announced a series of tough measures targeting Pakistan, involving water resources, border control, tightening personnel exchanges, and expelling diplomats, among other aspects. In response, Pakistan stated on the same day that it would "reciprocate" and announced that it would close its airspace to India, suspend all trade with India, and expel Indian defense, naval, and air attachés stationed in Pakistan.

Pakistan's Defense Minister Asif refuted India's accusations on April 23, stating that Pakistan had no connection to the attack and that the violence was a "domestic incident."

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed on April 26 that Pakistan is open to conducting a "neutral" investigation into the recent Kashmir attack and expressed concern about India's "groundless accusations" following the attack. He said these accusations were made "without credible investigation or verifiable evidence."

A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that Guterres spoke separately with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on April 29, offering to mediate to ease tensions.

On April 27, local time, Politburo member and Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China had a telephone conversation with Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar. Wang Yi stated that China is closely monitoring the current situation. Combating terrorism is a common responsibility of all countries, and China always supports Pakistan's firm implementation of anti-terrorism actions. As iron-clad friends and all-weather strategic partners, China fully understands Pakistan's reasonable security concerns and supports Pakistan in maintaining its sovereignty and security interests. China supports conducting a fair investigation as soon as possible. Conflicts do not serve the fundamental interests of India and Pakistan individually, nor are they conducive to regional peace and stability. It is hoped that both sides will remain restrained, move in the same direction, and de-escalate the situation.

Since the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, the issue of the归属of the Kashmir region has been the focal point of conflict between India and Pakistan. Both countries manage different parts of Kashmir and claim full sovereignty over the region. The aim of armed groups in the region is either independence or merger with Pakistan, while India accuses the activities of Kashmiri armed groups of being supported by Pakistan, which Pakistan denies.

After the Pulwama attack in 2019, which resulted in the death of 40 Indian soldiers, India and Pakistan once experienced a serious military standoff, including air combat and ground artillery exchanges, with the situation nearly escalating into a full-scale war. Although the crisis eventually ended with Pakistan releasing the captured Indian pilot, it severely damaged mutual trust between the two countries. With the latest shooting incidents unfolding, the international community generally worries that history may repeat itself.

(Observation Network, based on reports from the CCTV News Client, The Times of India, Reuters, etc.)

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Observation Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7499080696778998306/

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