World War 3 Tensions In Kashmir: India Accuses Pakistan Of Exporting Terrorism, Pakistan Displays Military Readiness

Even though it is being reported that conspiracy theorists are speculating that World War 3 is just about ready to erupt between the two Asian nuclear powers, India and Pakistan, events within the past week actually indicate that the reality of war between the two nations is indeed close. Whether or not it might lead to World War 3 is still the province of prognosticating think tanks and, yes, conspiracy theorists. And, of course, the point of contention is the much-disputed Kashmir region along the India-Pakistan border. Tensions between the two adversaries have increased since the September 18 attack on Uri in the Indian-controlled region of Kashmir, an attack that India has blamed on Pakistan-backed terrorists.

According to the Washington Post, Pakistan’s military put on a very public display of its readiness to safeguard the nation on Wednesday and Thursday, should India open up hostilities, going so far as to land fighter jets on public highways and halt commercial flights (and show footage of the activity on television) for hours. Although Pakistan military officials stated publicly that the maneuvers were routine, the Post reported that public speculation was that the heightened military presence in Islamabad, the nation’s capital, was anything but routine.

Just a couple of days later, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making his first public address since the alleged terrorist attack on Uri that saw 18 Indian soldiers killed, all but accused Pakistan of directing the assault on the Kashmir town located just over six miles (10 kilometers) east of the Line of Control (the military-controlled boundary between Pakistan and India agreed to in 1972). Instead, according to The Times of India, he noted that while both countries had attained independence at the same time (1947), India had gone on to export software, while Pakistan was an exporter of worldwide terrorism.

Modi accused India’s northern neighbor of exporting terrorism “everywhere.”

“Whenever news about terrorism comes, news also comes that the terrorist either came from there or — like Osama did — went there after the act.”

In the past week, diplomats from both countries have attempted to drum up support for its particular side of the argument at the United Nations. Pakistan has vehemently denied involvement in the Uri attack, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif delivered an impassioned speech before the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday suggesting unrest in the Kashmir region was due to Indian oppression against unarmed protesters.

For their part, Indian officials further accused Pakistan of lending verbal support for a recently killed militant, Burhan Wani, whose death ignited days of deadly protests in Kashmir. As the Post reported, one Indian official said it was “shocking” that Prime Minister Sharif could “glorify a self-declared… terrorist.”

To state that the recent developments and escalations of rhetoric would likely not reach the point of confrontation between Pakistan and India over the strip of mountainous territory called Kashmir would be to totally ignore their contentious history. In fact, the two nations have gone to war against each other four times since their independence, twice specifically over the Kashmir region.

That a border war between the two Asian powers might grow to encompass other nations, perhaps even assuming enough outside involvement to garner the label of World War 3, is a potentiality, one that is shared with other areas of the world because of their volatility and multi-state interests. Those areas of a World War 3 potential for entanglement include, as previously reported on by Inquistr, Syria’s civil war, the ongoing war against ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), the South China Sea, North Korea, the border between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, and the western border of Russia and various NATO-aligned nations. In all the areas of contention, the United States (through alliances and direct involvement — like in Iraq against ISIS) and Russia play major and/or supportive roles (except in the North Korea, South China Sea, and India-Pakistan scenarios, where China replaces Russia’s role).

Most worrisome about a potential war between Pakistan and India, though, is the possibility of the use of nuclear weapons, which both nations possess in their arsenals. Would the historical rivals restrain themselves from their use in the event of a possible devastating military defeat by its hated opponent? And, if a border war were to flare into World War 3 and several other nuclear powers were to become players, could all nations be trusted to leave the warfare to conventional weaponry and not be tempted to launch a limited strategic nuclear strike just to quickly end the conflict?

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