Pakistan vs India: From Pahalgam to Shooting down Jets

 

India and Pakistan, both well-versed in armed conflicts, have built strong militaries capable of handling a wide range of combat scenarios. Though to varying extents, both nations depend on foreign military supplies, with Russia and China being their primary suppliers.

Tensions between the two escalated after a terrorist attack in April in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, which India blamed on Pakistan — a charge Islamabad has denied. These tensions erupted on May 6, when India carried out missile strikes in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and into Pakistan itself. Both countries have since reported military successes, with Pakistan announcing on May 7 that it had downed several Indian aircraft.

Since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the two nuclear-armed rivals have largely limited their clashes to sporting arenas. A brief diplomatic warming occurred in 2012 when Pakistan’s cricket team toured India for an ODI series.

However, India’s recent offensive, codenamed Operation Sindoor, across the Line of Control has reignited hostilities, shutting down any near-term hope of resuming bilateral cricket ties. Ongoing border clashes and terror incidents — the latest being the Pahalgam massacre — have further entrenched this divide.

The fallout from Operation Sindoor has underscored the relevance of the hybrid hosting model agreed upon by the BCCI, PCB, and ICC, under which India and Pakistan avoid touring each other’s countries even for ICC tournaments.

This latest surge in conflict, sparked by the Pahalgam attack and India’s military response, is expected to reinforce these arrangements. With security concerns taking priority, the ICC will have to balance political realities while ensuring that high-profile matches between the two are held — though not on Indian or Pakistani soil.

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