Commentary: Is another Pakistan-India flare-up inevitable?

According to Islamabad-based think tank Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan saw a spike in terrorist attacks in the third quarter of 2025 compared to the previous quarter, with Pakistani Taliban in the northwest and Baloch separatist groups in the southwest largely responsible. Days later, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif remarked in a television interview that the chances of war with India are real and that Pakistan “will achieve a better result than before”. Pakistan for example accuses India of sponsoring groups such as the TTP and Baloch militants, while India contends that Pakistan supported The Resistance Front (TRF), responsible for the April Pahalgam terrorist attack which targeted mostly Hindu tourists.