India-Pakistan crisis is posturing for domestic gain but risk of war still looms: Analysis

Georgetown University Assistant Professor Uday Chandra, in an interview, analyzed the escalating India-Pakistan tensions, highlighting Pakistan’s pledge to see the conflict through to its "logical conclusion" while dismissing the likelihood of full-scale war. He noted that unverified claims of downed Indian jets—fiercely contested by Delhi—exemplify the current "fog of war," drawing parallels to the 2019 Abhinandan standoff, where symbolic gestures outweighed tangible outcomes. Chandra stressed that civilian casualties, unlike the military losses of 2019, have exposed India’s security lapses, intensifying political pressure on New Delhi. While acknowledging Pakistan’s rare strikes on Punjab—its first in decades—he characterized the crisis as a performative "game of chicken" aimed at domestic audiences, with backchannel negotiations quietly persisting behind the scenes.