Since the arrival of Indian Prime Minister Modi the relations between the two arch-rivals have sparked the threat of nuclear war between the two hostile countries.

The line of control which divides the disputed Kashmir border has been affected by cross border firing from both sides resulting in civilian and non-civilian casualties. The border skirmishes have intensified since last year and continue to do so with both countries trading blame.

The two countries have already fought three wars and there is a likely possibility of a fourth one keeping in view of the current volatile situation. However, only this time it will be different.

India has developed a military doctrine called Cold Start which will be used in a possible war with Pakistan. And its major objective is to prevent Pakistan from using its nuclear arsenal in case of war. However, there is no guarantee that Pakistan will not use the option to go nuclear. In fact, it is very likely that India’s hostile neighbor will not be reluctant in using nuclear weapons keeping in view India being the more superior conventional force. And that is where the problem lies. There is no denying the fact that a nuclear war would wreak havoc on the region and cause serious damage which might not even be undone after centuries.

An attack like the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack in near future could possibly be enough for India to go on the offensive which would ultimately lead to a nuclear conflict. The Indian government was reluctant to go on war back then but this time if a similar type of catastrophe happened again there are chances that it would escalate to a full-scale nuclear war.

So we can only hope that the two countries get back on the table and resolve their issues diplomatically rather than increasing tensions further which would aggravate the situation which seems like a distant possibility. The future looks dark and gloomy and the fears remain very much intact.