Pakistan

India appears to be building its case for attacking Pakistan: report

Published by
Kashif Zia

ISLAMABAD: New Delhi seems to be building a case for military action against Pakistan as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reached out to more than a dozen world leaders, the New York Times reported, citing diplomatic sources.

According to the report, citing officials, diplomats from 100 foreign missions in India have filed into the foreign ministry for high-level briefings following the Pahalgam attack in Indian occupied Kashmir last week.

The US-based newspaper claimed that India is actively seeking global backing, not to de-escalate the situation, but to strengthen its justification for potential military action.

Earlier on Saturday and Sunday, the security forces on both sides exchanged intermittent small-arms fire on the Line of Control (LoC), continuing the volatile situation in the region.

Furthermore, the report added that Indian forces have also begun a sweeping clampdown in occupied Kashmir, arresting hundreds, as they continue their hunt for the perpetrators.

The situation started after the Pahalgam attack when India announced the suspension of the Indus Water Treaty, declaring its intention to disrupt the flow of water to Pakistan, whose irrigation system depends largely on upstream rivers.

Pakistan, for its part, has said it will suspend participation in bilateral treaties, including the Simla Agreement, that affect the line of control.

Anti-Muslim sentiment in India is also intensifying, with Kashmiri students studying in other Indian cities, in particular, facing widespread harassment and many of them feeling compelled to return home.

In the briefings to diplomats at the foreign ministry, Indian officials have made allegations against Pakistan over the recent Kashmir attack, which Islamabad has denied.

The lack of strong evidence offered so far, analysts and diplomats said, pointed to one of two possibilities: that India needs more time to gather information about the terrorist attack before striking Pakistan, or that — in a time of particular chaos on the world stage — it feels little need to justify to anyone the actions it plans to take, the report added.

The governments of Iran and Saudi Arabia have spoken to the two sides, and Iran’s foreign minister has publicly offered to mediate. The United Nations and the European Union have called for restraint and dialogue.

But major powers, including the United States, are distracted by other crises, and analysts say India is interpreting the expressions of support by many countries for its pursuit of justice as a green light for any measures it takes.

Trump administration officials have voiced strong backing for India’s fight against terrorism. President Trump has said he is friendly with both India and Pakistan, while noting that they have long been at odds.

Kashif Zia

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