Cachemira, April 22, 2025 — In an armed attack carried out by three men, 26 tourists lost their lives. This action reignited the historical tensions between India and Pakistan, who have been disputing this region for decades.
**Who is behind the attack?**
Local police reported identifying two of the attackers as Pakistani citizens, which triggered a swift reaction from the Indian government, accusing Islamabad of supporting cross-border terrorism. However, Pakistan firmly denied any connection to the attack.
Soon after, the armed group Resistance Front, an organization based in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. This group is considered a branch of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an organization banned by the United Nations and several governments as terrorist. Despite its localization on Pakistani territory, Islamabad denies providing them with financial or logistical support.
The responses from both states were immediate. India announced the complete closure of its land border with Pakistan, suspended the exchange of citizens, revoked already issued visas to Pakistanis, and expelled diplomats from the neighboring country. Pakistan responded with reciprocal measures. In turn, India invalidated incoming imports from Pakistan, prohibiting: “import or transit, direct or indirect, of all goods originating from or exported from Pakistan.”
But the most surprising decision was made by the Indian government to suspend compliance with the Indus Waters Treaty, signed in 1960 with the mediation of the World Bank. This treaty, which regulates the shared use of the Indus River's resources, has been considered for decades one of the few bridges of understanding between both countries.
India closed the river's gates in its territory, which could severely disrupt the water supply in Pakistani regions that depend on this watercourse. The Pakistani government warned that any attempt to block or divert water will be considered “an act of war,” as stated by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC): “Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan under the Indus Treaty will be considered a declaration of war, and we will respond with all our strength.”
Despite being a news item of the present, the rivalry between India and Pakistan over Kashmir is not new. Its origins date back to 1947, when both countries gained independence from the British Empire. Kashmir, then an autonomous principality with a Muslim majority, integrated into India under certain conditions where they maintained their political and economic dominance but granted their defense and foreign relations management to India. However, Pakistan has always claimed that territory as part of its Muslim national identity.
In 1947, the first Indo-Pakistani war erupted, ending with UN intervention and the delineation of a Line of Control, dividing the region into two zones of administration. Since then, two more wars have been fought over Kashmir: in 1965 and 1999, the latter with clashes in the Kargil area.
**What does the world say?**
International bodies like the UN and the European Union have called for calm and diplomatic negotiations, while countries like the United States, Russia, and China have expressed their concern over a potential nuclear escalation. Let's remember that both countries possess atomic weapons and have active militaries in the border area.
Although no direct military confrontations have occurred since the attack, the closure of the Indus River and mutual diplomatic withdrawal mark a concerning deterioration in relations. Kashmir is once again at the center of the geopolitical board, and the world watches with concern as two nuclear powers stretch the tension once more.
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