Why India attacked Pakistan

Tensions between nuclear armed Pakistan and India continue to spiral as civilian casualties pile up, escalating fears of World War Three.

Nuclear armed Pakistan and India continue to trade deadly blows in a conflict that has the potential to escalate into World War Three.

WHY DID INDIA ATTACK PAKISTAN?

The subcontinent is on edge after Pakistan shot down several Indian jets and a drone flying in its air space which were attacking “terrorist camps”.

The Indian bombings, which have killed 26 people including four children, were in response to a Pakistani attack on Indian areas of the disputed Kashmir region in the area that borders both nations.

Army soldiers examine a building damaged by a suspected Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. Picture: AP

COULD THIS TURN INTO WORLD WAR THREE?

Former Australian Defence Secretary Mike Pezzullo said on Wednesday that it was unlikely that the conflict would escalate into World War Three but there could be miscalculations.

“World War Three would involve many other nations,” Mr Pezzullo said.

“The complicating factor is their possession of nuclear weapons. The key thing to look out for in the next 48 hours is how that escalation is managed.”

India has insisted that its attacks on nine sites inside Pakistan were not targeted at military sites.

WHERE DID THE ATTACKS OCCUR?

The attacks were near Srinagar, the Pakistani capital of Kashmir.

Accounts from India and Pakistan vary, but Pakistan shot down at least two and potentially up to five of the Indian jets involved in the attack.

The Pakistani and Indian border has been a flashpoint since the partition in 1947 the nations were separated as part of a deal brokered by the British Government following World War Two.

A local resident shows pieces of a suspected Indian missile at the site of the Muzaffarabad attack. Picture: AP

Mr Pezzullo said this latest confrontation was part of a controlled response from India.

He said that it “from the Indian perspective” that the death toll from an attack blamed on Pakistan forced them to act.

“It was difficult for India to not respond in some way,” he said.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Mr Pezzullo said the defence chiefs of both countries would now be looking to contain the violence.

“(The Indian attack) strikes me as being proportionate in a sense saying to the Pakistani side, your move next,” he said.

A building damaged by an Indian missile attack near Muzaffarabad. Picture: AP

“When you play a card like that, if the other side were going to escalate further that’s when it gets out of control.

“This would be called a controlled escalation.”

He added that if Pakistan’s leadership felt “humiliation” or “loss of prestige that potentially could lead to a larger war.”

Originally published as Why India attacked Pakistan