India Starts Diplomatic Effort to Justify Possible Attack on Pakistan Soon

After a deadly gun attack that killed 26 civilians in the India administered Jammu and Kashmir region, tensions between India and Pakistan have boiled over. While India has yet to name the attackers or produce evidence to implicate Pakistan in the attack, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said he would "raze terror safe havens" in a speech delivered to police officials.

Pakistani officials dismissed the claims that Pakistan was inoculated in the attack as nonsensical.

Analysts warned that the circumstances could lead to military action between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

India has undertaken a diplomatic campaign, briefing more than 100 foreign missions and asking for international backing against what it claims unfoundedly as Pakistan’s “historic patterns” of providing support to militant groups. At the same time, New Delhi has acted aggressively, including pledging to stopping water flow towards Pakistan and expelling Pakistani diplomats.

Pakistan has responded by suspending its bilateral agreements, including agreements on the cease-fire line in Kashmir. In Kashmir itself, Indian authorities have arrested hundreds of civilians in a massive crackdown.

Many global powers, including the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations, have called for restraint, while Iran has offered mediation.

Experts at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies have echoed the sentiment that India saw the '2019 playbook' as a missed opportunity, citing Daniel Markey's warning that India's leaders may be tempted to retaliate with a "spectacular" response.