India and Pakistan are preparing for war: 14,000 bunkers are built

India is preparing for war after Pakistan claimed to have shot down two Indian air force planes in its Kashmiri territory. Thousands of bunkers are being built along the border between the two countries, while the governments of both nations, declared nuclear powers, are preparing their armed forces for a possible conflict.

India, which accuses Pakistan of sponsoring the Kashmiri militia, the only region dominated by predominantly Hindu Muslims in India, built more than 14,000 shelters suitable for families living along its border with Pakistan, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, in the hope of keeping them safe near their homes instead of evacuating them during the launch of Artillery shells, reported Reuters.

The situation had generated "a panic among the population," said Rahul Yadav, deputy district commissioner for Poonch, a remote area of ​​the Indian state that has been facing some attacks. It is badumed that the new shelters, which had been planned before the intensification of tensions this week, will reduce this fear and prevent people from fleeing when the bombing begins.

Villagers on the Indian side of the border said they were tired of fleeing their homes when the shooting started. Some have seen family members die and the cost of abandoning their livestock and crops is too high for many poor farmers.

Villagers on the Indian side of the border said that they were tired of running away from their homes when shots explode. Some have seen family members die and the cost of abandoning their livestock and crops is too high for many poor farmers. "The shooting could recur and we know that there are risks of living so close to the border," said Tanattar Singh, a 75-year-old man from Chachwal village, while he and D & # 39; other ancients observed the construction of the earth. of a bunker for one of the 400 families of the village.

On the Pakistani side of the border, most houses built after the 2003 truce do not have shelters, although the Pakistani government has a program to build more. The bombings against India in recent days have left many dead and wounded, and many have fled the border areas to safer areas. Thousands of people have moved or plan to do so, said Umer Azam, chief administrative officer of Kotli, who ordered the closure of schools in the most dangerous areas.

On Wednesday, India announced that a pilot of his air force was missing after Pakistan claimed to have shot down two fightersat a time when relations between the two rival nations are deteriorating in the face of the possibility of a full-scale war. India has not yet determined that the missing pilot is being held by Pakistan, Foreign Ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar said. Bloomberg.

One of the Indian planes fell inside Pakistani-controlled Kashmir and the other side crashed on the Indian side of the line of control, said the spokesman for the Army, Asif Ghafoor. One driver is injured and receives medical attention and the other is detained, he said at a press conference in Islamabad. "Both are under arrest and we treat them with dignity," he added.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Pakistan had taken action only after noting the damage caused by India's attack on Tuesday. He urged dialogue by saying, "Common sense must prevail, we should sit down and talk."

The press agency ANI of India reports that a Pakistani F-16 violating Indian airspace was shot down three kilometers inside the Pakistani territory in the Lam Valley. Ghafoor noted that Pakistan had not used F-16 aircraft during the operation. "This is unprecedented (…) we have not had any retaliatory air strikes between India and Pakistan since the 1971 war," Anit Mukherjee, formerly Bloomberg, told Bloomberg. Chief of the Indian Army. "We do not know what will come out of this, but apparently Pakistan has given an answer, and there have been casualties … catches, deaths."

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the foreign ministers of both countries on Wednesday. Pence said that "We urge India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and avoid escalation at all costs" and noted that Pakistan's priority was to avoid any military action and take "significant measures against terrorist groups operating on its soil".

The political consequences of the exchanges are not yet clear, but it is clear that the capture of a driver "complicates matters and will increase tensions," said Sandeep Shastri, political scientist and vice-chancellor of the University Jain from Bangalore (India). Observers agree that no country can afford a large-scale conflict; However, none of the leaders can afford to look weak, even more with their respective audiences drawn into a nationalistic frenzy.

While the Tensions between the two countries are not uncommonespecially in the disputed region of Kashmir, the geopolitical importance of the actors is changing. Pakistan is the main middleman in Afghanistan and has at least good relations with China, while India is aligned with the United States. and has the ambition to become a true world power.

Pakistan is the main middleman in Afghanistan and has at least good relations with China, while India is aligned with the United States. and has the ambition to become a true world power.

India, in particular, has been transformed since the last meeting of the two countries in 1999. At present, the country's fastest-growing and fastest-growing population is expected to exceed $ 1.3 billion. inhabitants and exceed that of China. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government are now in trouble: they can not give in and yet they are limited in their actions by the apparent capture of the pilot," said Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center in Washington. "The end result," he said, is that "Modi can not afford the political luxury of accepting the olive branch that Pakistan has now offered him."

The Pakistani army

For his part, since coming to power last year with the promise of transforming his country, Imran Khan has repeatedly called for peace talks with India while facing a serious malaise. which forced it to attempt to raise funds from China. , Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. His government is also negotiating the thirteenth bailout of the International Monetary Fund for Pakistan since the late 1980s.

The decision by President Donald Trump to reduce about $ 2 billion in American security aid has also reduced Pakistan's defense funding. The fear of Indian rule continues to dictate the strategies of an army that has ruled Pakistan directly for nearly half of its 71-year existence, Bloomberg said. The army is the most dominant organization in the country and has long been considered one of the main obstacles to peace with India.

S.D.