Facing Cross-Border Terrorism, India Calls to Isolate Pakistan

September 26^th around midnight, the Indian military made surgical strikes against the Pakistani terrorists, Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), across the line of control into Pakistani-occupied Kashmir. The operation ended around 4:30am leaving around 35 terrorists and around 9 Pakistani soldiers dead.

India began a campaign earlier that week at the United Nations seeking to isolate Pakistan internationally over ties to terrorism.  India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj stated to the 193-member General Assembly that it’s time to identify nations who nurture and export terrorism and stand against them.

Pakistan has denied Swaraj’s allegations but Pakistan’s high commissioner, Abdul Basit, was given evidence of cross-border origins of a recent terror attack in Uri, India, which left 18 dead.

On September 18^th a Pakistani terror group, JeM, made an attack on a military base leaving 18 soldiers dead in Uri, India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has since vowed to isolate Pakistan globally.

This is not the first attack JeM has carried out in India. In 2015 the terrorist group attempted to hijack a bus in Gurdaspur. After their failed attempt, they hijacked a vehicle to get to a close by police station. At the station there was a firefight that lasted for twelve hours, killing six people plus the three terrorists.

India and Pakistan have been rivals for decades, mostly over Kashmir, causing them to be in three wars against each other.

In 1947 the partition of the Indian subcontinent led to the formation of India and Pakistan. Those new countries then soon went to war against one another over Kashmir. From 1947 to 1971 India and Pakistan have been at war three times and the two countries to be competitors ever sense.

`           Most recently, India’s and Pakistan’s National Security Advisors talked to each other and agreed to try to reduce tensions over the LOC. However, the issue over Kashmir was not resolved.

Prime Minister Modi confirmed he will not be going to the annual South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation this November in Islamabad. Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Bhutan will also not be attending SAARC this year.

Their absence is an attempt to further the vow of Prime Minister’s Modi promise to isolate Pakistan on a global scale.

The terrorist attacks in Uri, the attack in Mumbai, India in 2008 where Pakistani Lashkar-e-Tayyiba(LeT) terrorist were responsible for 170 deaths, and the Pakistani Army helping out Pakistani IS members, are all reasons why India says Pakistan harbors terrorism.

It is very unlikely that India will be successful with isolating Pakistan on an international scale. However, it is possible that Pakistan be isolated by some surrounding countries, since Pakistan backed terrorists are shared threats and have made attacks on other countries like Bangladesh, which gained its independence from Pakistan and the war crimes that came with their liberation. With this recent attack on Pakistani terrorist just a few nights ago, it is safe to say that more attacks will happen on both sides and that war could possibly result from these actions.