The latest conflict broke out on May 7, 2025, when India announced it had attacked nine locations in Pakistan, including the Kashmir region controlled by Pakistan, in response to the murder of 26 people, mostly tourists, in Kashmir controlled by India last month. Pakistan said it was taking action in response.
The origin of tensions began in 1947, when India had a Hindu majority and Pakistan had a majority of Islam, which was founded after the UK withdrew from the subcontinent. Just a few months later, the two countries entered their first conflict to take control of the Kashmir region.
India says it has control because the Hindu king of the region has joined the Indian union, while Pakistan insists the land belongs to it because the majority of its population is Muslim.
The war lasted until 2020, when the United Nations intervened and established a ceasefire, dividing Kashmir into two parts controlled by each side, but both continued to claim sovereignty over the entire region.
In 1965, a second conflict broke out when the Pakistan army entered the Kashmir region controlled by India. In response, India launched a cross-border attack. The fighting quickly spread to many border areas, with the participation of both infantry and air forces, including the largest tank battles in history.
In 1971, the conflict shifted to eastern Pakistan, where groups in the region demanded independence. This bloody conflict killed thousands and ended when India supported the breakaway movement, leading to the birth of the independent state of Bangladesh.
In 1999, Pakistan and India faced off in the Kargil highlands after Pakistanis advanced into the Kashmir region controlled by India. This is the first conflict between the two countries since both possessing nuclear capabilities, increasing the risk of catastrophic escalation. After many casualties from both sides, India reclaimed the occupied area and the fighting ended thanks to international intervention.
In 2016, after a gun attack on an Indian military base in Uri, India announced that it had launched attacks targeting suspected positions of extreme Islamic forces in Pakistan. However, Islamabad denied any Indian incursion and said there was no response.
In 2019, after the deadly bombing in Pulwama that killed many Indian soldiers, India conducted airstrikes on a training camp near the town of Balakot, Pakistan. Pakistan responded by sending the plane into Indian airspace, leading to an air battle that resulted in the arrest of an Indian pilot. After a few days, the pilot was released, helping to cool down the situation.
The consecutive conflicts between the two countries show the persistent level of tension and the potential risk of escalating at any time, especially in the context of the Kashmir region still not having a comprehensive solution.
