[Text/Observer Network Xiong Chaoyan] Recently, the terrorist attack incident that occurred in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region has completely "ignited" a new round of disputes between India and Pakistan, with a tendency to escalate further.

According to an exclusive report by Reuters on April 28 local time, Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on that day that as tensions escalated between India and Pakistan, two nuclear-armed countries, India's "military invasion" was imminent. "We have increased our troop deployments because this is an imminent matter. Therefore, under such circumstances, we must make some strategic decisions, which have now been made."

He also said that India's rhetoric had become more intense, and the Pakistani military had informed the government of the possibility of an Indian attack. However, the Pakistani defense minister did not provide further details regarding his belief that "India is about to launch an invasion."

Reuters reported that Asif is a senior politician from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) party, which has historically sought peace talks with India. He stated that Pakistan is currently on high alert but will only use nuclear weapons if its national survival is directly threatened.

In response to the aforementioned news, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, the Indian military said on April 28 local time that Indian soldiers had clashed with Pakistani troops for the fourth consecutive night in the Kashmir region, while Pakistan has not yet responded to this claim. According to Indian media reports, the Indian Navy held a long-range strike exercise in the Arabian Sea on April 27, during which it launched the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos.

April 28, Pakistani Defense Minister Asif interviewed by Reuters in Islamabad Video screenshot

In an interview with Reuters, Asif said that Islamabad had contacted friendly countries including Gulf states and China and informed Britain, the United States, and other countries about the current situation.

On April 27 local time, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said in an email statement to the media that the U.S. was closely monitoring developments and maintaining contact with both the Indian government and the Pakistani government at multiple levels, urging all parties to strive for a responsible solution.

It is worth noting that currently, netizens from both India and Pakistan are constantly creating various fake news involving the military on social media and even posting so-called "troop mobilization" videos and information about "destroying enemy weapons."

The trigger for the sharp escalation of the current India-Pakistan dispute was the terrorist attack incident that occurred on April 22 in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region: suspected militants fired at tourists in the area, resulting in at least 26 deaths and dozens of injuries. This incident has become the most severe terrorist attack in the region since the Pulwama attack in 2019, raising 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 against Pakistan, involving water resources, border control, tightening personnel exchanges, and expelling diplomats, among other aspects. In response, the Pakistani side replied on the same day, stating it would retaliate "eye for an eye," and announced that it would close airspace to India, suspend all trade with India, and expel Indian defense, naval, and air attachés stationed in Pakistan.

Pakistani Defense Minister Asif refuted the accusations made by the Indian side on April 23, stating that Pakistan had no connection to this attack, and the violence was a "domestic event."

In addition, according to a report by Reuters on April 25 local time, after the incident, a radical organization called the "Kashmir Resistance Movement" claimed responsibility for the attack on social platforms. Indian security agencies claimed that the organization was actually a branch of the Pakistani extremist group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Regarding this accusation, Asif also refuted it, stating that Lashkar-e-Taiba was "moribund" with no organizational structure in Pakistan, and some members were detained, lacking the ability to plan or carry out attacks from Pakistan-controlled territory.

April 24, Srinagar, the capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. After the shooting incident, Indian soldiers intensified patrols. IC Photo

The United Nations appealed on April 24 for both sides to exercise maximum restraint and avoid further deterioration of the situation. Stefan Dujarric, the UN Secretary-General's spokesman, said that day: "We strongly urge the governments of Pakistan and India to exercise maximum restraint and ensure that the situation and the developments we see do not further deteriorate." He said that all issues should be resolved through meaningful engagement and peaceful solutions.

According to reports by The Times of India, Anadolu Agency, and others, the government of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir said on April 27 that India had released water from the upper Jhelum River in Kashmir without prior notice on that day, causing water levels to rise sharply downstream in several areas of Pakistan and even triggering floods.

A spokesman for the government of Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, said, "Due to the release of excess water into the Jhelum River by India, moderate flooding has occurred." The spokesman also urged local residents to stay away from areas near the Jhelum River. It is reported that the Jhelum River is the westernmost of the five tributaries of the Indus River in Punjab Province, India, and is the main river in the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir region.

The government of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir accused India of deliberately implementing "terrorism against water systems," and the unannounced release of water violated the Indus Waters Treaty. It was introduced that the Indus Waters Treaty is an agreement facilitated by the World Bank in 1960 to manage and supervise the water resources of the Indus River between the two countries. The treaty requires both India and Pakistan to share information on water discharges to prevent damage downstream.

Reportedly, India remained tight-lipped on the matter, neither confirming nor denying it.

Asif told Reuters that cutting off water supplies to vulnerable areas was a "form of warfare," and emphasized that the treaty, which has withstood past conflicts, had international guarantors. He stressed that Pakistan had raised issues related to this treaty with relevant parties and urged the international community and the World Bank to protect the treaty.

On April 28, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun presided over the regular press conference. A journalist asked about the current situation between India and Pakistan. In response, Guo Jiakun said that China welcomed any measures conducive to easing the current situation and supported a prompt and fair investigation. As a common neighbor of India and Pakistan, China hoped that both sides would exercise restraint, move toward each other, resolve differences through dialogue and consultation, and jointly maintain regional peace and stability.

This article is an exclusive contribution by the Observer Network; unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7498527993649496613/

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