Dialogues needed to ease tensions

Pakistan denied any involvement in the suicide attack, but the tension escalated on Feb 26, when India launched an airstrike on what it said was a militant training base, violating the Line of Control and hitting inside Pakistan for the first time since the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.

On the following day, both sides claimed to have shot down each other's fighter jets and the Pakistanis captured at least one Indian pilot.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday asked India for talks to counter terrorism and reduce tensions between the two neighbors, saying both countries cannot afford miscalculation because of the weapons they have.

As a peace gesture, Pakistan released the captured Indian pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, on Friday. He has since debriefed Indian Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at the Indian air force medical facility in New Delhi on Saturday.

Long said that Indian government's anger over the heavy casualties of the suicide bombing is understandable. Just weeks before general elections in India, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to project a strong image and the government's power to protect the nation. Meanwhile, Pakistan will also fight back facing any attacks.

But escalating military tensions between them will only make bilateral ties even worse and will also hinder the development of the South Asia region, and even the peace process in Afghanistan, Pakistan's northwestern neighbor.

Li Li, director of the Center for South Asian Studies of the Institute of the International Relations of Tsinghua University, said the de-escalation of tensions should be accelerated. "The international community should make efforts to urge the two countries to carry out dialogues, because only dialogues could help them avoid miscalculation of the situation," she said.

Small-scale conflicts between Pakistan and India are likely to continue, but large-scale conflict should definitely be avoided, Li said.

Wang Dehua, a researcher with the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said that the conflicts ultimately stem from the unresolved claims over Kashmir, which have dragged on for so long.

On Thursday, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang urged again India and Pakistan to carry out dialogue as soon as possible, effectively manage tensions and jointly safeguard regional peace and stability.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he hopes the India-Pakistan tensions will come to an end soon.

Kashmir, a mountainous Himalayan region, has been divided by Pakistan and India since their independence from the British rule in 1947. But both countries claim its entirety.

Wang said that if the two neighbors could keep good communication, it will definitely benefit themselves and the stability of the South Asian region. He expects the confrontation to be cooled. However, the tensing situation should still be carefully watched.

Xinhua and AP contributed to this story.