On February 14th, 40 Indian Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in a terrorist attack in the Pulwama district on the Indian side of the disputed region of Kashmir. Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) claimed responsibility, leading initially to an exchanged of barbed remarks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan with the former charging that the attack was carried out with the support of the Pakistani government and the latter denying the allegations. While many eyes were on the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, tensions between India and Pakistan continued to escalate as India retaliated with an airstrike inside Pakistan at a purported militant training camp. Pakistan responded with its own airstrikes and an aerial engagement over the Line of Control in which an Indian pilot was captured, who was later released. In addition to the concerns over the two countries’ ongoing rivalry and nuclear armaments, the two sides’ use of aircraft procured from Russia, China, and–allegedly in the case of Pakistan–the US, highlighted the Rising Powers’ intertwined interests in the Indo-Pacific. Read the full Policy Alert here.
