NEW DELHI — For the first time in five decades, Indian warplanes crossed into Pakistan and conducted airstrikes on Tuesday. But in the jarring escalation of hostilities, the leadership of each nuclear-armed country also appeared to leave itself a way out of pushing the conflict into war.
In India, where election-year nationalism is fueling waves of anger over the militant attack in Kashmir that killed dozens of soldiers this month, the story line was of righteous vengeance accomplished.
“We won’t let this country bow down!” Prime Minister Narendra Modi told a charged rally in New Delhi, speaking in front of a backdrop with the photos of the Indian soldiers killed by a suicide bomber.
In a statement, India’s foreign ministry claimed that airstrikes near Balakot in northern Pakistan had struck “the biggest training camp” of Jaish-e-Mohammad, the group that claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing, killing a “very large number” of militants as they were planning another attack.
But in Pakistan, where the domestic tone has been one of fatigue over enduring economic crisis and political ennui, the country’s military command insisted that India’s air incursion had achieved nothing.
Pakistan released this photo on Tuesday, which it said showed minor damage in a forested area from Indian airstrikes. Pakistan denied India’s claim that it had inflicted heavy casualties on a militant group.
"Residents of the Pakistani village of Balakot, near where the strike occurred, said they had seen no sign of significant damage.CreditAqeel Ahmed/Associated Press"
Good news! no nukes, no WWIII. No flood of refugees to vex America (or more likely Britain!)