After India launched air strikes in Pakistani territory, tensions have escalated between the neighbours. Indian defence analyst Ajai Shukla explains the significance of the attack and what could happen next.
The ball is in Pakistan's court after Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft crossed deep into Pakistan on Tuesday morning. India says that the air strikes targeted a militant camp near Balakot in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. However, Pakistan has disputed this claim, saying the strikes hit an empty area.
The air strikes were provoked by the killing of at least 40 paramilitaries in Indian-administered Kashmir on 14 February, in a suicide attack which has been claimed by Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammad. Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had vowed revenge.
Tuesday's air strikes are the first launched across the LoC (line of control) – the de facto border that divides Kashmir – since a war between the two countries in 1971.
Not even during the 1999 Kargil war did Indian aircraft cross the LoC.
Both militaries have scrupulously observed a confidence-building measure that prohibits fixed-wing aircraft from flying within 10km (6.21 miles) of the LoC and helicopters from coming closer than 5km without informing the other side beforehand. For the first time, India has deliberately breached this contract.
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