India and Pakistan in Uncharted Waters: BBC

India launched air strikes against militants in Pakistani territory on 26 February, and Pakistan responded hours later with air strikes across the Line of Control dividing Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir. The strikes across the Line of Control were the first since 1971. Pakistan “also claimed to have shot down two Indian Air Force jets in its airspace in Kashmir and arrested two pilots on the ground,” reports Soutik Biswas for BBC News. “India has shut down parts of its airspace in the north of the country.” Pakistan has promised to release a captured pilot. Jihadist groups operating in Pakistan invite attacks from other countries like India and the United States, which entered in 2011 to capture terrorist Osama bin Laden. “"How will the Pakistani military explain itself to a public that accepts a huge military budget on the grounds of its military's ability to defend Pakistani sovereignty?" questions Husain Haqqani, former Pakistani ambassador to the US, now a senior fellow and director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute. Both Pakistan and India recognize the futility of using nuclear weapons, but analysts warn about escalation, pointing out that the high costs of miscalculations or accidents. – YaleGlobal