Archbishop Machado: ‘India and Pakistan, seek the peace invoked by Pope Francis’

Tension remains high between Delhi and Islamabad after the attack in Kashmir that left 26 dead. Airspace closed, agreement on rivers revoked, Hindu nationalists press for armed retaliation. The vice-president of the Bishops' Conference: “May our efforts for peace continue.”

Delhi (AsiaNews) - Diplomatic tensions between India and Pakistan show no sign of abating after the terrorist attack in Kashmir on 22 April, in which 26 tourists were killed.

The Indian army chief has announced a visit today to Pahalgam, the site of the attack, and there are fears of an escalation with the neighbouring and long-time rival.

India has claimed that there are elements linked to Pakistan in Tuesday's attack, when militants shot 26 men after separating them from women and children, while Islamabad has denied any involvement.

The two nations - both nuclear-armed - have taken a series of reciprocal measures in recent hours, with India suspending a 60-year-old treaty on river water sharing and Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines.

Faced with this heated situation, the Archbishop of Bangalore, Monsignor Peter Machado, vice-president of the Indian Bishops' Conference (CBCI), has launched an appeal through AsiaNews: “It is sad,” he said, commenting on the killing of the tourists, many of whom were from Karnataka.

’So many innocent lives lost, families in mourning, the nation in mourning... When the government and the people wanted normality in Kashmir, this attack reignited the conflict. May our efforts for peace continue,’ added Msgr. Machado. ’Pope Francis called for peace until the end. He offered the suffering of the last part of his life to the Lord for peace in the world and brotherhood among peoples... Let us listen to Pope Francis' appeal for brotherhood and peace.’

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to hunt down the perpetrators of the attack ‘to the ends of the earth.’ Stock markets in the country fell today, the rupee weakened and the yield on the benchmark 10-year Indian bond rose by 4 basis points.

India's two main carriers, IndiGo and Air India, have said that some of their international routes, including those to the United States and Europe, will be affected by the closure of Pakistani airspace, resulting in longer flight times and diversions.

There are fears that India, under pressure from public opinion, may launch a military attack on Pakistani territory, as it did in 2019 in retaliation for another suicide bombing in Kashmir, in which at least 40 Indian paramilitary police officers were killed. Several leaders of Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have called for military action against Pakistan.

The two countries both claim Muslim-majority Kashmir, each governing part of the territory. India, a Hindu-majority nation, has long accused Islamic Pakistan of helping separatists who have fought security forces in its part of the region, a charge Islamabad denies.

Indian officials say Tuesday's attack had ‘cross-border links.’ Kashmir police, announcing the identification of three people ‘involved’ in the violence, said two of them were Pakistani nationals.

Indian authorities in Kashmir demolished the homes of two suspected militants, one of whom is accused of Tuesday's attack, an official said. The governments of many states ruled by Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party have torn down the homes or illegal shops of people accused of crimes, many of them Muslims, in a form of summary justice.

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