UPDATE! India, Pakistan could skid into nuclear war, top expert warns

Growing tensions between Pakistan and India could send the neighbouring nations skidding into a nuclear war, a leading political scientist has warned.

“It could occur, and it’d be catastrophic for both nations,” Shooting for a Century: The India-Pakistan Conundrum writer Stephen P. Cohen said.

A report published by New York Times stated that the tension that was escalating presented a challenge to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has vowed to result in an economic revival in the nation which may only be attained through regional peace.

The report went on to quote former Indian-held Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah remarking that things in Kashmir had stayed relatively calm since 2010. This, Abdullah said, got the Indian government believe the turbulent days of the past were not under.

The report also pointed to “warning signals” pertaining to increasing unrest among young people in the region over the last two years. The killing of 22-year-old Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani by Indian forces in early July served as one instance, sparking demonstrations across the area.

“Wani should have served as an alarm bell for the government system,” The Wire editor Siddharth Varadarajan said. “Why would a young man, instead of taking up engineering, embrace a class that any reasonable person would tell him would wind up in death?” he said.

Separately, a powerful claim was made by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday during his address at the 71st United Nations General Assembly session for Kashmir. “Peace and normalisation between Pakistan and India can’t be reached without the alternative of Kashmir,” he said. “ our differences should be resolved by us in Kashmir and Jammu. Discussions are in the interest of both the countries,” Sharif included.

Ahead of the UN General Assembly session, the primer minister and Army leader General Raheel Sharif discussed different choices in the clear backdrop of ongoing hostility.