India accidentally set of an unarmed missile that flew into Pakistan this past week, increasing tensions that had previously died down between the two countries. Indian government officials claim that the missile was mistakenly fired during routine maintenance. Luckily, there was no loss of life and the missile crashed outside the city Mian Channu. In response, Pakistan government officials condemned the violation of it’s airspace. They claim that the incident could have seriously harmed any passengers on airplanes flying overhead, endangering civilian lives. There was further concern that Pakistan hadn’t been immediately notified when the missile was mistakenly launched, and that they had to find out themselves (when the missile crashed in their country).
The incident has a few variables that make it noteworthy for further examination. First, the tensions it brings forth between India and Pakistan. The two countries have had a fair few conflicts, and fought 3 wars. The conflicts are mostly commonly over the disputed territory Kashmir. Both countries claim Kashmir as their own, and because of the areas ethnically diverse population, neither has a real claim over the territory. In terms of religion, the territory has a Muslim majority, which is a minority in India itself. Because of this , there’s been ongoing armed conflict over the claim that Kashmir is India. This brings us to the second variable, which is that both India and Pakistan host nuclear weapons. The misfire by India brings to light the unstable nature of the nuclear missiles being produced by both countries. Mutual possession of nuclear weapons means that if the missile had been armed, it could have rekindled the conflict that had previously raged between the two countries. Additionally, it raises concern over the safety of the nuclear weapons being produced, and the lives of citizens that are at stake.
Because of the conflicts involvement with the country Kashmir, it’s important to analyze the geopolitical significance of the region. India desires Kashmir for a multitude of reasons. A) Kashmir offers a beneficial terrain for defense. The land is hillier and harder to get across on foot, making it a good protective barrier. B) Kashmir has three rivers that flow through it, and provide a lot of trade routes for the economy. Because both countries are of nuclear power, it prevents either from simply taking the territory. The misfire in India reminds both sides of the nuclear power being housed in both countries and potentially re-incites the conflict.