Fresh Pakistan-India Military Exchange 'Exactly Why Nuclear Weapons Must Be Eliminated'

Fear of potential war between India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed nations, rose after India launched deadly strikes on Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir early Wednesday local time—prompting the nuclear nonproliferation group the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons to call for de-escalation between the two countries.

In retaliation on Wednesday, Pakistan shot down several Indian aircraft. The fighting is the latest in escalating tensions that have risen since last month's Kashmir massacre. India has blamed Pakistan for the April 22 attack in which armed militants killed tourists in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, while the Pakistani government has called for a "neutral" probe.

Both countries control parts of Kashmir but claim it in full.

"A nuclear exchange between India and Pakistan would cause millions of immediate deaths in the region and have global consequences," said executive director of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) Melissa Parke in a Wednesday statement.

Parke pointed to a study published in 2022 in Nature Food, which found that even a more limited nuclear war between the two countries could have devastating consequences for global food supplies and could lead to the deaths of a sizable portion of the world's population. The authors of the study also estimated that more than 2 billion people could die from nuclear war between India and Pakistan due to famine.

"No country would be spared. No government can protect its people from the consequences," said Parke.

"This is exactly why nuclear weapons must be eliminated. ICAN calls on both governments to show restraint and de-escalate, and calls on the international community to redouble efforts toward disarmament through the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons," Parke continued. "The only way to guarantee these weapons are never used is to ban and eliminate them."

The U.N. Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is a global agreement that bans the possession, use, and testing of nuclear weapons. The treaty has 94 signatories and 73 state parties, though neither Pakistan nor India have signed or are a party to it.

ICAN won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize in part due to its work on the treaty.