Malaysians Advised Not To Visit India And Pakistan For The Time Being, Here’s Why
A decades-old conflict has reignited in the region following a recent terror attack in Kashmir.
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All Malaysians have been urged by the Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi, to postpone all non-essential travel to Indian states bordering Pakistan.
According to media reports, the High Commission said in a statement this includes travels for holidays or other non-urgent purposes.
“In view of the recent escalation between India and Pakistan, in which India launched Operation Sindoor on Pakistan on 7 May, the High Commission strongly advises the prompt postponement of all non-essential travels,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian High Commission in Islamabad also issued a statement advising Malaysians to defer unnecessary travels into Pakistan.
Why are India and Pakistan fighting?
It all began on 22 April, 2025, when militants attacked a tourist group in the Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam, within the Indian-administered region of Jammu and Kashmir.
Various media reported the attack claimed 27 lives, including 25 Hindu tourists, a Christian tourist, and a Muslim local.
Who were the attackers? An armed group called The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the attack. This group is reported to be a branch of the Lashkar e-Taiba, a Pakistani jihadist militant organisation.
Why did the TRF attack an unarmed group in an act labelled as terrorism? Because they are demanding independence for Kashmir.
India accused Pakistan of supporting the group, an allegation which Pakistan denies.
In retaliation, India launched “Operation Sindoor” on 7 May, which was a series of missile attacks targeting what they described as “terrorist infrastructures” in Pakistan. The strikes hit nine sites, including locations in Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Muzaffarabad.
Pakistan reacted with promises of retaliation, condemning the air strikes and accusing India of targeting civilian sites which resulted in 31 deaths and 47 injuries.
In response, Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian fighter jets recently and initiated artillery exchanges along the Line of Control (LoC) – the military control line between India and Pakistan-controlled parts of Kashmir.
The crisis has led to significant diplomatic repercussions
After the bombings and killings, both countries have taken actions that say “I don’t friend you anymore” in a big way.
India expelled Pakistani diplomats, suspended visas for Pakistani nationals, closed borders, and withdrew from the 1960 Indus Water Treaty.
The Indus Water Treaty was a water-distribution treaty between India and Pakistan, arranged and negotiated by the World Bank, to use the water available in the Indus River and its tributaries.
With the suspension of the treaty, Pakistan claims that India has choked the water supply to the country by ninety percent. A satellite image allegedly shows the Chenab river, which flows into Pakistan, drying up to a point where the riverbed is visible.
Satellite images show that the Indus Treaty is currently in abeyance, as the Chenab River near #Sialkot is nearly dry and its flow has drastically diminished. #IndusRiver pic.twitter.com/ZtGPswCRBJ
— #KohliComeBack (@LuckyyGautam18) April 30, 2025
Meanwhile, Pakistan suspended the 1972 Shimla agreement, a peace treaty between the two countries following the third Indo-Pak War in 1971.
They also imposed trade restrictions on India, prohibiting all imports whether direct, or through intermediary nations along with postal services and parcel delivery, according to a report by English-language Indian news outlet Times of India.
India and Pakistan have been at war for a long time
The conflict between India and Pakistan is rooted in the turbulent history of their separation in 1947, when British India was divided into two nations based largely on religion. India emerged as a secular state with a Hindu majority, while Pakistan was established as a Muslim homeland. The partition led to massive communal violence and one of the largest human migrations in history, setting the tone for decades of hostility.
The central and most enduring point of contention between the two countries has been the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. When the Muslim-majority region’s Hindu ruler chose to accede to India during the chaos of partition, Pakistan objected, leading to the first war between the two nations in 1947 and 1948. The war ended with a United Nations-brokered ceasefire and the de facto division of Kashmir, but not a resolution.
This unresolved dispute has triggered multiple wars and skirmishes. In 1965, Pakistan attempted to incite rebellion in Indian-administered Kashmir, leading to a second war that ended in a stalemate. In 1971, the two countries fought again – this time over the independence movement in East Pakistan, which India supported.
The war concluded with a decisive Indian victory and the creation of a new nation: Bangladesh. In 1999, the Kargil conflict erupted after Pakistani troops and militants infiltrated Indian territory in Kashmir. India pushed them back, and international pressure forced Pakistan to withdraw.
Tensions have persisted in the form of proxy conflicts, border skirmishes, and especially terrorism. India has repeatedly accused Pakistan of harboring and supporting terrorist groups responsible for major attacks, such as the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. These incidents led to retaliatory strikes by India inside Pakistani territory, including airstrikes in 2016, 2019, and this most recent conflict in 2025.
Both nations possess nuclear weapons, adding a dangerous dimension to their rivalry.
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