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--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Welcome to Today Explained. I'm Sean Rameswaram.
--:-- Noel King: And I'm Noel King.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Today, we're talking about the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. Ankit Panda from The Diplomat is here to explain what's going on.
--:-- Ankit Panda: Thanks for having me on the show.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: So, let's start with the basics. What's happening between India and Pakistan right now?
--:-- Ankit Panda: Well, there's a summit over nuclear weapons that's wrapping up early in one corner of Asia, while two nuclear powers in a different corner of Asia are at each other's throats. India and Pakistan are in a serious military crisis, the most serious since 2002.
--:-- Noel King: What's the cause of this crisis?
--:-- Ankit Panda: The cause was a terrorist attack in Indian-administered Kashmir on February 14th. India has said it will ensure the complete diplomatic isolation of Pakistan following the attack, the deadliest to hit the disputed territory in decades.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And how did India respond to the attack?
--:-- Ankit Panda: India retaliated against a Pakistan-based terror camp that belonged to the group that claimed responsibility for the attack by using military aircraft and conducting an airstrike on Pakistani territory.
--:-- Noel King: And what's Pakistan's response been?
--:-- Ankit Panda: Pakistan says it has shot down two Indian aircraft, which it claims were over Pakistani airspace. The Pakistani military also says its warplanes carried out airstrikes inside India.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: So, we're looking to see how India reacts next. But potentially, if India does decide to respond, then we get into what political scientists and scholars call an escalation spiral that might get out of control.
--:-- Ankit Panda: That's right. And then things start to get really serious between these two nuclear-armed neighbors.
--:-- Noel King: Take us back to this terrorist attack. What exactly happened there?
--:-- Ankit Panda: So, on February 14th, a convoy of about 2,500 Indian paramilitary personnel in Kashmir was hit by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. The attacker was a local Kashmiri who was born and raised in the Indian-administered part of the state.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And what's the significance of this group, Jaish-e-Mohammed?
--:-- Ankit Panda: They're a Pakistan-based terrorist group that's been responsible for several attacks in India, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks that killed over 180 people.
--:-- Noel King: And how does India deal with these kinds of attacks?
--:-- Ankit Panda: India has been trying to figure out how best to deal with these kinds of attacks that are being planned across the border. And there's another angle to this, which is that a lot of these groups, like Jaish-e-Mohammed, are widely thought to have the tacit and in some cases overt backing of Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: So, what exactly did India do in response to this attack?
--:-- Ankit Panda: India used aircraft to strike at Pakistani territory for the first time in nuclear history. They claimed to have hit a Jaish-e-Mohammed training camp at a place known as Balakot.
--:-- Noel King: And what's Pakistan's version of what happened?
--:-- Ankit Panda: Pakistan says the Indian aircraft did cross the line of control, but they ditched their payload and didn't actually hit anything of importance.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And then what happened next?
--:-- Ankit Panda: Pakistan entered Indian airspace briefly and bombed what India described as military installations, and then they withdrew. They were trailed by Indian fighters, and those fighters were downed by Pakistani air defenses.
--:-- Noel King: And what about the Indian pilot who was captured by Pakistan?
--:-- Ankit Panda: Pakistan released a video showing an interview with the Indian pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan, who said he was treated well by the Pakistani army.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And what's the current situation on the ground in each of these countries?
--:-- Ankit Panda: This is the first crisis of this magnitude between India and Pakistan that we're having in the social media era. And it's a huge deal when you have 1.5 billion people, most of whom have smartphones. Word gets around, and India and Pakistan have a massive problem with fake news.
--:-- Noel King: And how's this playing out politically in Pakistan?
--:-- Ankit Panda: On the Pakistani side, we have a fairly new prime minister, Imran Khan, who's from a party that's never governed the country before at the national level. And in Pakistan, the military is effectively the most powerful political institution.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: So, what's the situation with the terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed?
--:-- Ankit Panda: They're widely thought to have the tacit and in some cases overt backing of Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies. They don't wear uniforms, but they do receive equipment and training in some cases.
--:-- Noel King: And what comes next? Is India going to strike back?
--:-- Ankit Panda: I think escalation is not automatic and it's not fatalistic. A lot of people in India and Pakistan are treating this as the first steps to a broader war between the two countries. But it doesn't have to be that way.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Ankit, thanks for explaining this complex situation to us.
--:-- Ankit Panda: Thanks for having me on the show.
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--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And that's it for today's show. Thanks for listening to Today Explained.
--:-- Noel King: If you want to learn more about the history of this conflict between India and Pakistan, you can check out our episode on the topic.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And if you want to learn more about Brother's new printer, the Ink Vestment Tank, you can go to changethewayyouink.com.
--:-- Noel King: Thanks to Brother for supporting our show.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And thanks to our listeners for tuning in.
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