What's behind India and Pakistan's conflict over Kashmir, and why it's so serious

What's behind India and Pakistan's conflict over Kashmir, and why it's so serious

What’s behind India and Pakistan’s conflict over KashmirThe two countries reached a full and immediate ceasefire on Saturday but experts say dangers in the region remain.

Tensions between India and Pakistan significantly escalated last week, with the neighboring countries exchanging fire for several days after India's missile attack on Pakistan.

While the two countries announced a full and immediate ceasefire on Saturday, experts say dangers in the region remain.

The United States conversed with Indian and Pakistani officials to broker the ceasefire, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

India on Saturday evening accused Pakistan of breaking the ceasefire, saying it is responding to the violations.

The recent attacks came after already rising tensions as India continued to blame Pakistan for a deadly attack in April in the disputed Kashmir region, a claim that Pakistan denies. That militant attack, known as the Pahalgam incident, left 26 people dead in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

MORE: Pakistan says it is responding to 'act of war' after India missile strikes

"This is just the most recent in a series of conflicts between Pakistan and India," retired Col. Stephen Ganyard, an ABC News contributor and former State Department official, said. "Ever since the formation of Pakistan in the mid to late '40s, these two countries have not gotten along."

With both countries possessing nuclear weapons, the threat of escalation is especially concerning.

"Of any place in the world, the easiest to imagine a nuclear exchange happening is between Pakistan and India," Ganyard said. "You have these two neighbors with so much hate, so much history and lots and lots of nuclear weapons exchanging live fire."

A man stands inside his house destroyed by Pakistani artillery shelling at the Salamabad village in Uri, May 8,2025