India and Pakistan share a fraught history. Ever since both countries won their freedom from British colonialist control in 1947, conflict has usually flared up between the two. Over these past decades, they have engaged in three all-out wars. They have fought hundreds of battles in some of the most unforgiving terrain, like the mountains of Eastern Afghanistan. Despite the military confrontation between the two countries, they have not sought to develop the course of conventional war as so many before them. Their unique geopolitical landscape informs this unusual approach.
The ongoing territorial dispute between India and Pakistan continues to be the core issue fueling hostility between the two countries since their independence. Since their independence, the contested region has been claimed by both India and Pakistan, resulting in a violent and aggressive militant dividing line—the LOC. India currently occupies a third slice of Kashmir. On the other hand, Pakistan administers the same territory, and the LoC serves as an innate, conflict-ridden border between the two. This precarious situation has led to frequent armed conflicts. The best known of these is a titanic struggle on top of a glacier that boasts the world’s coldest and highest-altitude battlefield.
In conventional military terms, India has a formidable military edge over Pakistan. The Indian armed forces are more than twice the size of Pakistan’s active personnel. In 2025, India’s defense expenditure is projected to reach $74.4 billion, positioning it among the world’s largest military spenders. Just last year, Pakistan increased its defense budget to nearly $10 billion. This exacerbates an already problematic gap in the resources provided for military operations.
The prospect of nuclear annihilation further complicates this relationship due to its unique power over life and death. It is possible that each country has somewhat more—around 170–180 nuclear warheads. These warheads are further classified according to their range into short, medium and long ranges. As noted by military analyst Syed Mohammed Ali, “Pakistan and India have enough nuclear weapons to wipe the other side out several times over.” This development has produced a ‘# MAC’ nightmare that makes open war even more dangerous.
Militarily, both India and Pakistan have been extremely ambitious. They’ve repeatedly raised the stakes in their disputes, often before returning to much longer stretches of de-escalation. With their military engagements primarily taking place beyond the public gaze, neither country is revealing its nuclear arsenal or game plan to the other. The lack of transparency in turn has fueled speculation about their actual military capabilities and intentions.
Curiously enough, neither India nor Pakistan seems to be even looking for such control or hegemony over the other in classical sense. There is no clear ambition for empire or the plundering of resources outside of their own national borders. The conflict over Kashmir encapsulates this dynamic. Both nations prioritize their sovereignty while simultaneously engaging in a defensive posture.
As tensions remain high, the world is following closely. The dangers of any miscalculation from such a dramatic escalation are clear, considering the size of both countries’ nuclear arsenals.
