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OPINION / OBSERVER

India-Pakistan tensions necessitate restraint from all concerned parties for de-escalation

Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

The terrorist attack in India-administered Kashmir last week, which killed at least 26 tourists, has escalated tensions between India and Pakistan. The two countries have exchanged small arms fire on the Kashmir border for the fourth consecutive night, according to Reuters on Monday. This situation is pulling at the heartstrings of the international community.

Meanwhile, voices calling for restraint from both sides continue to grow around the world. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that China welcomes all measures that will help cool down the current situation and supports carrying out fair and just investigations at an early date. He noted that as the neighbor of both India and Pakistan, China hopes that both countries will exercise restraint, work in the same direction, handle relevant differences properly through dialogue and consultation, and jointly uphold peace and stability in the region. 

Earlier on Friday, the UN Security Council condemned the terrorist attack as "criminal and unjustifiable," reaffirming the need for states to "combat by all means" threats to international peace and security resulting from acts of terrorism, while a UN spokesperson urged both India and Pakistan to show maximum restraint to ensure the situation does not deteriorate further. 

The heightened tensions have drawn global attention for two main reasons. First, the historical conflicts between the two countries, including three India-Pakistan wars and ongoing military confrontations in Kashmir, are a cause for concern. In recent years, relations between the two nations have been marked by serious crises over Kashmir, such as the Uri attack in 2016 and the Pulwama attack in 2019. Although these incidents eventually subsided, the spark of tension has never fully died.

Second, many media reports have emphasized the identity of India and Pakistan as nuclear-armed countries. This identity is a common concern for the world. The issue of nuclear weapons complicates the situation between the two countries, and any escalation could trigger a wider conflict or even a global security crisis.

The attack on innocent tourists is horrific and unacceptable. However, many aspects of the incident, including the identity of the perpetrators and their motivations, remain unclear. India has accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack, a claim that Pakistani officials have denied. The New York Times reported that India has yet to officially identify a group responsible for the attack and has presented little evidence to support its allegations against Pakistan.

Besides, according to The Hindu, the group that initially claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, the Resistance Front, later denied its involvement, attributing the earlier claim to "a coordinated cyber intrusion." These developments serve as a reminder for all parties to remain rational during sensitive times and to avoid premature judgments that could escalate the situation. They also highlight the crucial need for an impartial investigation to be carried out as soon as possible.

Currently, with two major regional conflicts already affecting the international landscape, any new flare-up in South Asia will only further destabilize global security, which is detrimental to regional peace and development. In this context, it is essential to control the risk of an uncontrollable situation triggered by small clashes or misjudgments. All parties concerned must work to de-escalate the situation and oppose any actions that fuel division or intensify tensions. Safeguarding peace and stability in South Asia is not only a shared responsibility among all parties involved, but also the collective expectation of the international community.