The article discusses the recent ceasefire between India and Pakistan on May 10, highlighting its significance in averting potential nuclear escalation. Historical accounts suggest this marks the fourth time the two nations have approached nuclear confrontation since their respective nuclear tests in 1998. The previous instances occurred in 1990, 1999, and 2019, indicating a recurring pattern of tension. Despite the promise of nuclear deterrence, military confrontations have persisted. The US has intervened to de-escalate tensions, raising concerns about future conflicts where mediation may not be viable.
A news report on May 10 announced that Pakistan had convened a meeting of its National Command Authority, but this was later denied; the sequence may have been a case of 'signalling'.
When India went openly nuclear in 1998, we were told that with the power of deterrence, military conflict with conventional forces would end. It did not happen.
Mercifully, there has been no nuclear war, but we seem to have come close to it on more than one occasion.
The events that led to the intervention of the United States in South Asia remain murky, but India and Pakistan were brought down from a nuclear-weapon escalatory ladder.
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