‍India is raising customs duty on goods imported from Pakistan to 200 percent. The decision comes after New Delhi revoked Islamabad's "Most Favored Nation" status. Tensions have been escalating since the deadly militant attack that happened on February 14 in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region.

A suicide bomber killed 44 Indian paramilitary troopers, and wounded many others. The Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack. New Delhi blames Islamabad, but the latter rejected the allegation and condemned the attack, saying violence is not the policy of the Pakistani government.

Cheng Xizhong sat down with CGTN to share his views on the current conflict. He is a former Chinese defense attaché in India, Pakistan and Nepal, as well as a former senior military observer at the United Nations. Cheng is now a senior research fellow at Chahar Institute, and a visiting professor at Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing. 

He believes that a war is unlikely to happen because both governments are wise enough to know that the war will harm both. India and Pakistan are taking active measures to boost their economy, and a war will definitely harm the development.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has vowed to punish the attackers. Some fear that the deadly attack may lead to anti-Muslim activities in India. Cheng pointed out that Pakistan itself has actually long been a victim of terrorism.

Recently, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan vows to improve the economy and living standards for its people. During the war between the United States and Afghanistan in the early 2000s, Pakistan was in full support of U.S. military actions. During the period, Pakistan suffered about 250 billion dollars' economic loss. The Pakistani government has been taking strong measures to fight terrorism in recent years, and the situation has been improved significantly.

He believed that India would hold general elections this year, and the Modi government is taking a harsh stance on Pakistan so as to win support for the election.

Meanwhile, the U.S. said it supports India on the issue, which hasn't helped to ease the tensions. China believes that dialogue and cooperation are the best way to solve the conflict. India and Pakistan are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, so Cheng hoped that both would hold dialogues within the framework to fight terrorism.