The tension between the two nuclear powers has continued since independence. There are several reasons for that, which are rooted in history; it might be ideology or territorial dispute, mainly over Kashmir. All these have led to several kinds of problems in the South Asia region, like militarization of the area, economic impact of counterterrorism, humanitarian, and diplomatic issues.

Both India and Pakistan have one of the largest armies in the world, and tension will increase focus on further militarization of the region, which will increase their defence spending instead of increased spending on health, education, and infrastructure.  The continued threat of the conflict, especially involving nuclear weapons, will also create an atmosphere of instability in the neighbouring countries, like, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which was initially established to encourage South Asian Economic integration, is almost an inactive organization now

The Indo-Pak tension significantly hindered the regional economic integration, despite having a long shared border and summing up to one-fourth of the world’s population, there is still minimal trade between India and Pakistan. Even though trade is halted by the tension between the countries, the overall protectionist policies of both countries. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which was initially established to encourage South Asian Economic integration, is almost an inactive organization now because of the tension between India and Pakistan. This has resulted in less regional integration in the region and more trade barriers. Already the numbers show that South Asia is the most populated region with the least trade among themselves.

Terrorism is the biggest enemy of the South Asian region, which has left several scars

Terrorism is the biggest enemy of the South Asian region, which has left several scars on the faces of the regional countries. With the new Indo–Pak tension, the blame game of support for terror and terrorism will reduce the efforts to curb terrorism in the region. Afghanistan has already been blamed for having more the 18 terrorist groups according to the UN. This will give the opportunities to the insurgents and terrorist groups’ opportunities to reassemble and use the mistrust between the two countries.

Countries like Afghanistan know this situation better where millions of people have migrated to neighbouring countries, and hundreds of thousands were internally displaced

Wars and ceasefire violations bring with them a humanitarian crisis, this is in terms of the casualties or internally displaced people. Countries like Afghanistan know this situation better where millions of people have migrated to neighbouring countries, and hundreds of thousands were internally displaced.  Returning to the pre-war or conflict situation will cost a lot to both countries, and that’s why it is important to reconsider it.

Pakistan’s proximity to China and India’s closeness to the USA make this conflict bigger than it appears

As both India and Pakistan are major powers in South Asia, they are also quite close to the world’s major powers. Pakistan’s proximity to China and India’s closeness to the USA make this conflict bigger than it appears. The cold war and the trade war, which are going on between China and the USA, have, in one way or another, a direct or indirect impact on the tension. Important issues in the region will be sidelined, like the peace in Afghanistan, and the future of dealing with the Taliban could be forgotten, and the nests of terror will emerge.

Indo-Pak tension could further disintegrate South Asia diplomatically, economically, and politically

To sum it up, the Indo-Pak tension could further disintegrate South Asia diplomatically, economically, and politically, and may open new doors for insurgency, terrorism, and mistrust, which should not be the destiny of the almost two billion people in the region.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not represent the views, beliefs, or policies of the Stratheia.