A potential conflict between India and Pakistan was averted by Jammu and Kashmir police when they intercepted a car laden with explosives in Pulwama, South Kashmir on Wednesday.
The police worked on intelligence reports and positioned its officers accordingly to nab the militants. The suspected vehicle, a Santro, was spotted after which the police opened fire on the car. The vehicle then quickly came to a halt and the occupants managed to escape under the forest cover.
A militant, identified as Adil, who works for the Hizbul Mujahideen and the Jaish-e-Muhammad, and two other militants of these outfits were behind the act. According to the reports, they were planning a suicide attack on the 17th of Ramadhan [Jang-e-Badr].
Upon inspection, the officials found at least 40 to 45 kg of explosive fitted into the vehicle. The car was watched overnight and people in nearby houses were evacuated as the officials waited for the bomb squad to arrive.
Indo-Pak War Prevented?
Nitin J Ticku, an expert on Kashmir affairs at EurAsian Times believes that had the terrorist somehow managed to denote the vehicle as they did in Pulwama last year which killed over 40 Indian CRFP soldiers, the Modi administration would have certainly hit back at Pakistan despite tensions in Ladakh with China.
The last time India and Pakistan came close to war was in 2019, after the dastardly attack in Pulwama. A terrorist drove into a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) convoy in an explosive-laden vehicle in Pulwama, South Kashmir.
As the nation mourned, the Indian armed forces carried out surgical strikes across the border to avenge the loss of its soldiers. Only a week later, on February 26, 12 Mirage 2000s of the Indian Air Force crossed the Line of Control and bombed terror camps in Balakot, Pakistan.
Ever since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Indian administered Kashmir has seen an increase in militancy, cross border shellings and border infiltrations. According to the South Asian Terrorism Portal (SATP), Indian forces have eliminated 84 militants this year alone and in the process has also lost 29 members of the armed forces. The last time India and Pakistan engaged in a full-scale war was in 1999 at Kargil.
Experts at EurAsian Times have noticed an uptick in attacks by Pakistani media and government officials accusing India of attempting to create an opportunity to conduct a “false-flag operation” against Pakistan.
Prime Miniter Imran Khan has taken to Twitter several times and written about ‘False Flag Operations’ by India. Earlier, as EurAsian Times reported, for a second time in a week, Pakistan PM Imran Khan cautioned the global community about a possible Indian attack on Pakistan. Khan’s fresh warning came as India reportedly violated ceasefire violations along the Line of Control.
15 homes torched by Indian Occupation forces in Srinagar yesterday as 900k security forces subject Kashmiris to brutal oppression. Modi's Hindutva Supremacist Occupation Govt is committing war crimes in IOJK including changing the demography in violation of 4th Geneva Convention pic.twitter.com/18esq9AryE
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 20, 2020
Kashmir remains a top priority for both India and Pakistan as both countries deal with the coronavirus. India is engaged in a precarious situation with China in Ladakh but this has not stopped New Delhi from paying attention to attacks emanating from Pakistan.
Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar, has praised the officials involved in averting another terror attack in India. “A timely action of security forces averted a major tragedy. A suicide attacker jumped two checkpoints before leaving the vehicle behind another late night yesterday at Ayegund area of Rajpora, Pulwama”, he said.
Nearly 70 years after the end of British rule, Kashmir remains the bone of contention between India and Pakistan. Both New Delhi and Islamabad are relentless in their pursuit of Kashmir and could be an ‘attack’ away from engaging in a full-fledged clash.
