India and Pakistan: Why Their Wars Defy Global Patterns

A Border Shaped by History, Religion, and Raw Nerves

Try to imagine a place where two countries have been at odds since the day they were born. That’s India and Pakistan. When the British left in 1947, two countries came into existence, carved out by religious lines—India with a Hindu majority, Pakistan with a Muslim majority. But the map wasn’t finished. Kashmir, a region caught in the middle, never had its future clearly settled—and that’s been fuel for conflict ever since.

Just months after independence, Pakistan sent tribal militias into Kashmir. The region’s ruler turned to India for military help, setting off the first Indo-Pakistani war. This wasn’t a tidy, formal war with clear rules. Instead, local fighters, piecemeal armies, and desperate, small-scale clashes became the norm. The result? Kashmir was split down the middle, but both sides claimed the whole thing as their own. That line of control that runs through Kashmir today isn’t just a border—it’s a scar that’s never quite healed.

Their next major fight in 1965 kicked off with Pakistan’s "Operation Gibraltar," which tried to spark an uprising in Indian-controlled Kashmir using covert forces. This time, the gloves were off and full militaries clashed. But even then, the fighting was short-lived and mostly restricted to Kashmir and nearby regions—neither side tried to invade or destroy the other’s heartland. By 1999, the script hadn’t changed much, just the actors. Pakistan-backed militants crossed into Kargil, seizing mountain peaks and sparking a limited but intense conflict that the world watched nervously.

No Total War—Just Proxy Fights and Nuclear Threats

Here’s the twist: unlike many countries that go all out once guns are drawn, India and Pakistan are stuck in a cycle of small wars, border skirmishes, and covert operations. Why? Kashmir isn’t just a piece of land. For both countries, it’s the ultimate symbol of their very identity. That emotional charge means every skirmish is existential—yet the cost of losing outright is terrifyingly high.

The stakes jumped even higher after both countries went nuclear—first India in 1974, then Pakistan in 1998. When both sides have nuclear weapons, the idea of total war becomes nightmarish. No leader wants to be responsible for crossing a line that can’t be uncrossed. Instead, each side has learned to fight just enough to make a point, but pull back before things spiral. That’s why you see a mix of spies, irregular fighters, and cross-border shelling rather than rolling tank columns.

Even in recent years, tensions haven’t cooled—if anything, they’ve become slightly more unpredictable. In 2019, India revoked Kashmir’s special autonomous status (Article 370), angering Pakistan and leading to new rounds of threats. The situation boiled over again with 2025’s Operation Sindoor, where both nations accused each other of breaking international rules. Neither side trusts the other enough to lay down arms, and international attempts to help have fallen flat. The border stays tense, the politics get sharper, and families on both sides brace for the next unpredictable crisis.

So, what keeps the powder keg from exploding into a full-scale disaster? Ironically, the dreaded presence of nuclear arms. They force leaders to act with caution, even while local battles keep the crisis alive. Kashmir remains in limbo—as does the uneasy peace between two determined rivals, making this one of the world’s most unique and dangerous standoffs.