India and Pakistan may stumble into a large-scale war: US Intelligence
“India and Pakistan may stumble into a large-scale war neither side wants, especially following a terrorist attack that the Indian government judges to be significant.” notes The Global Trends report, released April 7 in Washington. The report is compiled by the U.S. government’s National Intelligence Council once every four years.
A similar report released by the Obama administration in 2017 had warned of a pandemic and a vast economic disruption as its fallout.
The report further underlined that the U.S. policy in Afghanistan is likely to impact the neighbouring countries, especially India and Pakistan. “U.S. actions in Afghanistan during the next year will have significant consequences across the region, particularly in Pakistan and India,” it said.
This would be “especially true” if a security vacuum emerges in Afghanistan that results in a civil war between the Taliban and its Afghan opponents, expanding freedom of manoeuvre for regional militant networks, or criminals and refugees flow out of the country, it adds.
The report concluded that developments in Afghanistan would fuel political tensions and conflict in western Pakistan and sharpen the India-Pakistan rivalry.
Source: The Hindu Frontline
