Leaders | The Himalayas of peace

Luck stands between de-escalation and disaster for India and Pakistan

Sooner or later, the luck will run out

A Pakistani Ranger stands guard at the scene of India's missile strike in Muridke, Punjab, Pakistan, May 7th 2025
Photograph: EPA/Shutterstock
|4 min read

THE spectacle of India and Pakistan teetering on the threshold of war and then backing off is both alarming and familiar. This time the odds remain in favour of de-escalation, as before. Yet the past two weeks show that relations between the two nuclear powers, which have flared into open conflict four times since partition in 1947, are increasingly unstable and dangerous. It is more important than ever that the two sides address their differences, including Pakistan’s reckless indulgence of militant groups, which threatens itself and India.

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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “On the brink”

From the May 10th 2025 edition

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