India Strikes Pakistan: Why It’s ‘Very, Very Significant’

India’s announcement of “surgical strikes” in Pakistan on Thursday marked a sharp worsening of tensions between the nuclear-armed nations, signalling Delhi has lost patience with its neighbor for allegedly sheltering militants.

 

The Indian army said it was trying to take out terrorists who’d “positioned themselves … with an aim to carry out infiltration and terrorist strikes.

 

The military moves — that Pakistan denied took place — were a serious departure from India’s previous policies of “strategic restraint,” according to Charu Lata Hogg, a regional expert and associate fellow with the Chatham House think tank.

 

Pakistan has long been accused of housing and supporting militant groups that target India — including Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which was behind the devastating 2008 Mumbai attacks that left over 160 dead.

 

India has retaliated with similar strikes in the past but never admitted it openly, said Shashank Joshi, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank.

 

Read More: India Strikes Pakistan: Why It’s ‘Very, Very Significant’ – NBC News