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| Indian Border Patrol (File Photo) |
By USMAN ANSARI
ISLAMABAD — Recent clashes by Indian and Pakistani forces are not likely to escalate further, analysts say, as both nations have a stake in calming matters along the Line of Control (LoC) bifurcating Kashmir between the two rival states.
“I think there are strong incentives on both sides to control the escalation in this case. Delhi and Islamabad have only recently started to mend their ties. There are incentives on both sides to contain this issue and nip it in the bud,” says Harsh Pant, Reader in International Relations, Department of Defence Studies, King’s College, London.
He said despite the heightened emotions on the Indian side due to allegations that the bodies of Indian soldiers were mutilated, “Delhi will have to carefully balance its anger with the long-term stability in the subcontinent. ... there will be a slowdown in the broader normalization of ties, that’s for sure.”
Despite a cease-fire being in place along the LoC, there are occasional clashes, normally involving artillery, but it is unusual for there to be casualties because one side intruded into opposing territory, and matters are generally quickly resolved by opposing senior officers.
The initial Jan. 6 clash, therefore, was somewhat unusual.
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