An attack on tourists in India's Himalayan territory of Kashmir this week sparked a new crisis between nuclear armed South Asian neighbours India and Pakistan, with New Delhi blaming militants with "cross-border linkages" for the killings.

With the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan has made it clear that it’s itching for war. But why does a cash-strapped nation want a war that goes against all rationale? The answer may lie in the longstanding ideological opposition to India mixed with compulsions of General Asim Munir to restore the military’s primacy in the country.

The nuclear-armed rivals, which both claim Kashmir and administer separate parts of it, are at a dangerous crossroad after Tuesday’s militant attack, analysts said.