India-Pakistan: Conflict with no clear winner

New Indian Express

14-05-2025

Paris, France: A ceasefire between India and Pakistan has calmed fears of all-out war and despite conflicting claims, experts say no clear victor emerged in the brief conflict between the nuclear-armed foes.
No clear winner
Both South Asian countries claim to have achieved their goals in their worst conflict since 1999, without admitting significant losses.
Four days of intense fighting began last Wednesday when India launched strikes against what it described as "terrorist infrastructure" in Pakistan.
India claims Pakistan backs the militants it says were behind an April attack in which 26 people were killed in Kashmir -- a charge Islamabad denies.
"If victory is defined by who lost the most manned aircraft, then India certainly lost this one," said Ashley Tellis of the Carnegie think tank.
"But India also succeeded in effectively interdicting a range of Pakistani surface targets and imposing significant costs on Pakistan," Tellis told AFP.
"Both sides continue to claim air-to-air kills, but clear evidence remains unavailable at the time of writing," said Fabian Hoffmann from the University of Oslo.
"What stands out is the extensive use of conventional long-range strike systems by both sides to target military infrastructure deep within enemy territory, including sites near their capitals," he added.
Nuclear powers
While slow to begin with, the international community, including the United States, eventually intervened, alarmed by the possibility of further escalation.
Hoffmann said the bitter foes showed little restraint despite the absence of "deliberate strikes on critical civilian infrastructure".
"Any shift in that direction would... potentially bring the conflict closer to the threshold of nuclear use," said Hoffmann.
The global trend towards violence, especially by states facing internal turmoil, demands greater international vigilance, according to Tellis.
The fact that both countries are nuclear powers "makes the conventional balances all the more important. But the fact remains that neither side has a decisive conventional edge in a short war," said Tellis.
Drones on the frontline
Like other modern conflicts, this one confirmed the "widespread" use of drones for warfare, according to Oishee Majumdar from British intelligence firm Janes.
Israel Aerospace Industries' exploding drones Harop and Harpy, as well as reconnaissance drone Heron were used by India, Majumdar told AFP.
According to specialist site Military Balance, India also deployed Indian drones Nishant and Drishti.