South Asia's ugly truce

摘要

India paraded its missiles and tanks along with its singers and dancers in the celebrations in Delhi on January 26th to mark its 50th anniversary as a republic. But there is a grim sense in the capital that the hardware may soon be pointed north and west, towards Pakistan. Relations between the two nuclear powers, never good, have worsened steadily since Pakistan tried unsuccessfully to seize a chunk of Kashmir, a disputed northern state, from India last spring. The general regarded by India as largely responsible for the invasion has since taken power in Pakistan in a coup. A group of terrorists hijacked an Indian Airlines jet in December, an operation planned, India alleges, by Pakistan.