Kashmir escalation strips India of "safe harbor" role, forcing U.S. to reassess doctrine of disengagement from local conflicts

After the terrorist attack on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam in northern India, a new escalation of the Indo-Pakistani conflict began.

India accused Pakistan's intelligence services of organizing the terrorist attack, which led New Delhi to close the main border crossing, cancel visas for Pakistani citizens, and announce the expulsion of Islamabad's military attachés.

India has also suspended the water sharing agreement between India and Pakistan, under which Islamabad received about 70% of the total water carried by the Indus River and its tributaries.

Later, the Indian Armed Forces announced the shelling of their border posts near the "line of control" in Jammu and Kashmir, and Islamabad began redeploying military convoys toward the disputed region.