India and Pakistan don’t fight wars like other countries. Here’s why

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — India and Pakistan person fought 3 full-scale wars since they gained independency from British India successful 1947. They’ve besides had dozens of skirmishes and conflicts, including 1 atop a glacier dubbed the coldest and highest-altitude battlefield successful the world.

The latest escalation follows a deadly weapon onslaught connected tourists that India blames Pakistan for — Islamabad denies immoderate connection. But they don’t combat wars similar different countries.

The ascendant origin is their nuclear weapons arsenal, a chiseled mode of deterring large attacks and a warrant that warring doesn’t get retired of hand, adjacent erstwhile the concern is spiraling.

Here’s however — and wherefore — Pakistan combat the mode they do:

Their atomic arsenals tin destruct each other

“Pakistan and India person capable atomic weapons to hitch the different broadside retired respective times over,” says information expert Syed Mohammed Ali, who is based successful Islamabad, the Pakistani capital. “Their atomic weapons make a script for mutually assured destruction.”

Both countries person “deliberately developed” the size and scope of their stockpile to punctual the different astir the warrant of mutually assured destruction, helium adds.

Neither state discloses their atomic capabilities but each is thought to person betwixt 170 and 180 warheads that are short-, long- and medium-range. Both countries person antithetic transportation systems — ways of launching and propelling these weapons to their targets.

The arsenals are a antiaircraft determination to forestall and deter further fighting, due to the fact that “neither broadside tin spend to initiate specified a warfare oregon anticipation to execute thing from it,” Ali says.

It mightiness not look this mode to the outsider, but atomic weapons are a reminder to the different broadside that they can't instrumentality things excessively far.

Kashmir astatine the crux of the dispute

India and Pakistan person each laid assertion to Kashmir since 1947, erstwhile some gained independence, and borderline skirmishes person created instability successful the portion for decades. Each state controls a portion of Kashmir, which is divided by a heavy militarized border.

The 2 archrivals person besides fought 3 wars implicit Kashmir, wherever equipped insurgents defy Indian rule. Many Muslim Kashmiris enactment the rebels’ extremity of uniting the territory, either nether Pakistani governance oregon arsenic an autarkic country.

Border flare-ups and militant attacks successful India-controlled Kashmir person prompted New Delhi to instrumentality an progressively pugnacious presumption connected Islamabad, accusing it of “terrorism.”

In the latest conflict, India punished Pakistan by hitting what it said were sites utilized by Pakistan-backed militants linked to a weapon massacre past month.

A accepted subject imbalance

India is 1 of the biggest defence spenders successful the world, with $74.4 cardinal successful 2025, according to the Military Balance study from the International Institute for Strategic Studies. It’s besides 1 of the world’s largest arms importers.

Pakistan is nary slouch, spending $10 cardinal past year, but it tin ne'er lucifer India’s heavy pockets. India besides has much than treble the fig of progressive equipped forces unit than Pakistan does.

While India’s equipped forces are traditionally focused connected Pakistan, it has different atomic neighbour to contend with, China, and it is progressively acrophobic with maritime information successful the Indian Ocean. Those are 2 factors that Pakistan doesn’t person to see successful its information paradigm.

Pakistan's agelong and constrictive shape, unneurotic with the outsized relation of the subject successful overseas policy, makes it easier to determination the equipped forces astir and prioritize defense.

A signifier of escalation and defusing

Neither Pakistan oregon India are successful a hurry to denote their subject moves against the different and, arsenic seen successful the existent flare-up of hostilities, it tin instrumentality a portion for confirmation of strikes and retaliation to surface.

But some motorboat operations into territories and airspace controlled by the other. Sometimes these are intended to harm checkpoints, installations, oregon sites allegedly utilized by militants.

They are besides aimed astatine embarrassing oregon provoking — forcing leaders to bow to nationalist unit and respond, with the imaginable for miscalculation.

Many of these activities originate on the Line of Control, which divides Kashmir betwixt India and Pakistan. It's mostly inaccessible to the media and public, making it hard to independently verify claims of an onslaught oregon retaliation.

Such incidents rise planetary alarm, due to the fact that some countries person atomic capabilities, forcing attraction backmost to India and Pakistan and, eventually, their competing claims implicit Kashmir.

The fearfulness of atomic warfare has enactment the 2 countries astatine the apical of the agenda, competing with the papal conclave, U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies, and the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial successful the quality cycle.

No tendency for conquest, power oregon resources

Pakistan and India’s battles and skirmishes are distant from the nationalist eye.

Strikes and retaliation are precocious astatine nighttime oregon aboriginal successful the greeting and, with the objection of the drone attacks connected Thursday, they mostly instrumentality spot distant from densely populated municipality centers. It shows that neither state has the tendency to importantly harm the other’s population. Attacks are either described arsenic surgical oregon limited.

Neither state is motivated by contention for resources. Pakistan has immense mineral wealth, but India isn't funny successful these and, portion determination are stark ideological differences betwixt Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, they don’t question power oregon power implicit the other.

Other than Kashmir, they person nary involvement successful claiming the other’s territory oregon exercising dominance.