Adnan R. Khan: There are signs of a schism growing between the Pakistani army and the militants it created who set off the latest tensions
Two weeks ago, the Pakistani militant organization, Jaish-e-Mohammad succeeded in carrying out its worst attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir. An SUV loaded with explosives crashed into a convoy of Indian security personnel, killing 40 police reservists in the Pulwama. The massive loss of life was one thing; the timing of the attack was another.
Under normal circumstances, such an escalation would be considered a dangerous prelude to war, and indeed the world has watched events unfold with growing trepidation. Tensions between nuclear-armed rivals is not something new but in the case of India and Pakistan, they are a perennial threat and a constant source of anxiety.
A more cynical view is that Pakistan is in no position to enter into a conflict with India. It is isolated internationally with an economy on the edge of collapse. As some have pointed out, even China, which has increasingly played the role of underwriter to Pakistan’s international legitimacy as the U.S. has shifted its support to India, was muted in its response to the Indian air force incursions into Pakistani airspace, calling on both sides to avoid escalation.
The Kartarpura Corridor is a proposed route from India to Pakistan that would allow Sikh pilgrims from both countries to visit respective Sikh shrines on both sides of the border without a visa. The Pakistani army chief has backed the project, even embracing the Navjot Singh Sidhu, the Indian chief minister for Punjab province, on Aug. 19 last year after reportedly telling him the corridor would be completed later this year to mark the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of the Sikh faith.
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