Kashmiri Muslims offer prayers on a road as Indian security personnel stand guard in Srinagar, Kashmir on Friday. (Reuters/Adnan Abidi)
Pakistan claimed this week to have "credible intelligence" that an Indian counter-attack on its territory is imminent. The Indian Embassy in the U.S. did not respond to requests for comment on this story before publication time.
The dust-up began with a tourist massacre on April 22 in Belgaum, Kashmir. All but one of the victims were Indian citizens, and India swiftly pointed the finger at Pakistan, which rejected the charge.
The attack occurred in a remote valley only accessible on foot or by horse, and survivors claimed after the attack that the gunmen had accused some of the victims of supporting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The ambassador warned that the region, home to over 1.5 billion people, is once again being held "hostage to the war of hysteria" by India’s government and media, who immediately "began beating war drums." The pair of rivals have exchanged gunfire across their heavily militarized borders since the attack.
He cited Pakistan’s request for evidence linking it to the attack and Islamabad’s offer to participate in a neutral, transparent inquiry — both of which he said have gone unanswered.
"Any misadventure or miscalculation can lead to a nuclear interface," the ambassador said. "That is certainly not desirable in such a densely populated region."
PAKISTAN FEARS INDIA INCURISON ‘IMMINENT’ AMID HEIGHTENED TENSIONS FOLLOWING TERROR ATTACK
Activists and supporters of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference take part in an anti-India protest in Muzaffarabad on Friday following Pakistan and India's ongoing border tensions over the Kashmir tourist attack. (Farooq Naeem/AFP via Getty Images)
India and Pakistan each control parts of the Kashmir region, but both claim it in full. They have fought three wars over the territory.
In 2019, a cross-border attack carried out by militants killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary personnel in Kashmir. India responded by bombing targets inside Pakistan.
Modi's government revoked Muslim-majority Kashmir's autonomy in 2019, bringing it back under Indian control and prompting protests.
Kashmir has been a disputed region since both India and Pakistan gained their autonomy from Britain in 1947. The region is now one of the most militarized in the world. Violence by regional militant groups has left tens of thousands dead.
But Modi's aggressive stance in Kashmir has precipitated relative peace over the past five years, boosting his popularity domestically. He may feel political pressure to respond with force to the most recent dust-up.
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Pakistan has been ravaged by terrorism for decades, and Saeed said the nation has lost anywhere between 70,000 and 90,000 lives over the past 20 years to terror attacks.
"We cannot afford any instability in the neighborhood," said Saeed. "We want a peaceful neighborhood. But as we have been repeatedly mentioning at all levels, leadership level and all the other levels, that we want peace, but that should not in any way be misconstrued as a sign of weakness. We want peace with dignity."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pakistan-warns-nuclear-flashpoint-urges-trump-step-amid-rising-tensions-india-over-kashmir