Kashmir conflict risks escalating into full-scale war, GPI

The Global Peace Index 2025 has identified the Kashmir conflict as one of the world’s most dangerous nuclear flashpoints, citing India’s ongoing repression in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, consuming thousands of Kashmiri lives.

The report highlights that since 1989, Indian state violence has led to the deaths of thousands of Kashmiris, while the territory remains the most militarized zone on the planet.

The Index draws that India has deployed around 500,000 troops in IIOJK, making it a heavily militarized zone, while Pakistan maintains only 60,000 along the Line of Control, showing a stark contrast in approaches.

The Index draws a stark contrast between India’s heavy troop presence in IIOJK and Pakistan’s comparatively restrained deployment in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). As per report, India has deployed around 500,000 troops in IIOJK, making it a heavily militarized zone, while Pakistan maintains only 60,000 along the Line of Control.

The report also flags India’s unprovoked missile strike on Pakistan in May 2025 over the Pahalgam incident as a dangerous act of militarism that risks triggering a catastrophic regional war.

However, “This attack falls outside of the measurement period of the 2025 GPI and will be captured in next year’s report.” Although tensions in the region have been high in the region since resistance began in IIOJK in 1989.

India’s unprovoked missile strike on Pakistan in May 2025 over Pahalgam exposed its reckless militarism, risking a nuclear conflict that could escalate far beyond Kashmir. The report’s use of the term “gunmen” for the 22 April Pahalgam attack reflects global refusal to label Kashmiri freedom fighters as terrorists, challenging India’s narrative.

According to report, India deployed hundreds of thousands of troops, turning the Himalayas into one of the world’s most militarized zones.

In August 2019, India illegally revoked Kashmir’s special status under Articles 370 and 35A, splitting the territory into two Union territories. India’s scrapping of Article 370 led to mass arrests, blackouts, and troop surge, deepening Kashmir’s alienation and human rights violations.

Local police forces in IIOJK have swelled to an alarming 130,000, while peaceful AJK under Pakistan shows no signs of such militarization, highlighting the stark disparity.

India has used its Kashmir policy to fuel nationalist sentiment, portraying the August 2019 revocation of special status as fulfilling a long-standing promise of national integration.

The Kashmir conflict risks escalating into full-scale war, with potential unrest in both India and Pakistan, including a serious threat of anti-Muslim violence within India.