By Erik Fagerstrom ’27
On April 22nd rebel gunmen attacked a resort in the Indian controlled Kashmir region. The gunmen killed 26 people and injured 17 more, primarily killing Indian Hindu men. Indian officials have blamed Pakistan for the attacks despite there being currently no evidence of Pakistan’s involvement; instead the The Resistance Front (TRF) has claimed responsibility for the attack. In response to this attack India has launched airstrikes into Pakistan hitting 9 targets and killing 31 people and injuring many more in Operation Sindoor. India has also threatened to cut off fresh water to Pakistan by reneging on the Indus Water Treaty that has stood for 65 years. Pakistan in response to Indian attacks has launched their own bombardment killing a dozen people. The two countries now stand at the precipice of war, both nations prepared for violence The international community is rushing to respond and to stop further violence from breaking out but progress seems limited as the two nations continue to face off. In order to prevent an all out war the international community must respond quickly to mediate peace talks. If peace cannot be worked out quickly tensions may continue to rise resulting in more tit for tat attacks.
The Kashmir region has long been a territory filled with tension ever since Pakistan and India became independent from Britain in 1947. The Kashmir territory did not at first join either nation until in October 1947 after mounting attacks from several Muslim rebel groups in the territory the Hindu leader of Kashmir temporarily joined India. India used this as justification to claim the whole territory as under their control. Pakistan also claimed control of the territory. These competing claims of control led to the First Indo Pakistani war which ended in 1949 when the U.N. negotiated a ceasefire. Tensions lasted even after the war and another war broke out in 1965. This concluded yet again by a U.N. brokered peace treaty. Then more violence broke out over the Kashmir region in 1971 eventually ending with both nations signing the Simla Agreement. This deal established the “line of control” dividing Kashmir into sections governed by India and Pakistan respectively but both nations still claim ownership of the whole territory. Violence continued to escalate in the Kashmir region with Pakistani backed militants and Islamic terror groups fighting and launching terror attacks from 1989 onward. Between 1989 and 2008 there were over 47,000 deaths associated with separatist violence. These terror groups continue to operate in the region to this day carrying out attacks against primary Hindu and Indian targets. In 2019 a suicide truck bombing killed 40 Indian soldiers sparking new violence and protests in Kashmir. The Indian government cracked down on Kashmir in response to this attack, they cut off communications and instituted harsh curfew. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi officially annexed the region during these crack downs removing their special autonomous status leading to widespread resentment from Kashmir people and more protests. In this climate of violence and protest the TRF formed and began attacking Indian targets. The Kashmir region continues to be one of the most highly militarized locations on earth, and is still highly disputed between India Pakistan and the Kashmir protests advocating for independence.
Now in 2025 the TRF has yet again carried out a violent attack killing Hindus. The attack on April 22nd was nothing new in the Kashmir region and the tit for tat violence that is now taking place between India and Pakistan reflects previous patterns of violence. These current attacks and the Indian response to them mimic those of 1965, 1971, and 2019. The violence and tension over the line of control has been going on since the very formation of Pakistan and India as independent states. The current attacks are dangerously similar to those attacks that started wars between these powers in the past. International fears of war are not overblown but rather a reasonable expectation based on previous violence between the two nuclear armed neighbors. Previous conflicts have been settled with international actions by the U.N. and other international intervention. India Pakistan violence is a difficult problem to tackle but without an international response the dangers of full-scale war become more likely. With the support of the U.N. and the United States, peace talks can be negotiated between the nations.
The international community has responded quickly with statements and calls for peace from the United States, China, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, and the U.N. These groups have all called for a de-escalation of tensions and for peace talks over the current violence. In contrast Israel has come out in support of Indian strikes against Pakistan, the Israeli ambassador to India tweeted “Israel supports India’s right for self-defense. Terrorists should know there’s no place to hide from their heinous crimes against the innocent. #OperationSindoor.” However, even with these inflammatory statements swift action by the U.S. has managed to broker a ceasefire between Pakistan and India on May 10th. Tensions are still high and there are already reports of both nations violating the ceasefire and launching new missile strikes. However, with external negotiation talks are moving forward. As with previous conflicts external negotiation has helped to bring the two historical rivals to the negotiating table. If this ceasefire holds it will prevent a total war however, the cause of the conflict remains. So long as both Pakistan and India claim ownership over the Kashmir region violence will likely continue. Long term peace in the region may seem nearly impossible but with U.N. support an independent nation of Kashmir may be possible. The independence movement in Kashmir is the prevailing desire of most Kashmir people both in the Pakistani and Indian controlled regions. Both India and Pakistan have long ignored or actively fought against this desire for independence, at times entirely removing this third option from the negotiating table. However, in light of the recent attacks and rising tensions this could be the time for the Kashmir people to push for independence. With the current situation and international eyes on the region this hitherto unthinkable third option now has suddenly become a viable solution to a decades old conflict.
