New Delhi, Islamabad on verge of full-scale conflict: Pundit

Pakistan has announced that at least 11 civilians have been killed and a dozen more injured in Indian selling in its part of the disputed Kashmir region. Pakistani air force has warned India of a full-scale war and both neighbors have expelled diplomats. India and Pakistan fought three wars over Kashmir region in 1947 and 1965. 

Naveed Ahmed, an investigative journalist, said on Thursday night that he thought the Indian government was seeking to escalate tensions.

“India is working towards its Cold Start Doctrine. They (Indians) are trying to soften the targets along Line of Control and probably in March or April there is likelihood of a full-scale war which will start initially in Kashmir," he said.

India's accusations, its military drills and the mood in the country show that the New Delhi government is preparing to heighten the level of tension with Pakistan and embark on a new conflict, he added. 

According to the analyst, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is escalating the conflict in order to distract attention from domestic problems like the Indian rupee’s devaluation over the past few weeks.

He also said Pakistan’s shift towards China and the "economic corridor" which the two countries seek to establish "is really not going well with Indian mindset.”

The journalist touched on "Pakistan’s readiness" to start peace talks with India, saying “peace process is a two-way process.”

“Without trust between the two governments, without enough capital invested in the peace process which India has tried to terminate it quite time and again, things are not going to change,” he said.  

Shobhan Saxena, a journalist and political commentator, said India and Pakistan need to work together to find a solution to the problem in Kashmir, "but the kind of saber-rattling rhetoric which is ongoing will not help resolve the issue."

Both India and Pakistan have to show some restraint and exercise responsibility, given that both countries are armed with nuclear weapons, he added.

“If a full-scale war breaks out between India and Pakistan, we can just imagine a catastrophe for both the countries and for the entire region. A nuclear war is not a possibility and we should not even talk about it.”

Saxena also urged the Pakistani government to stop blaming India for all of their internal problems.

Islamabad "should resolve its difficulties domestically, because Pakistan is facing backlash of its own policy toward terrorism and extremism," he said.  

India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire in Kashmir on November 26, 2003, and launched a peace process the following year. Since then, there have been on-and-off clashes. Both sides accuse each other of violating the ceasefire along their de facto border.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947. Both claim the region in full.

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