- ties (noun) – bond, association, relationship.
- ceasefire (noun) – a temporary stoppage of a war, truce, armistice.
- shelling (noun) – bombardment, barrage fire, bombing.
- retaliation (noun) – revenge, vengeance, counter-attack.
- line of control (LoC) (noun) – it is a 450 mile-long military control line lying between India and Pakistan’s controlled parts of the former (under the British) Jammu and Kashmir. This line is not actually a legally recognized international boundary but prevails as per de facto. After the Simla Agreement signed in July 1972, this line was officially renamed as “Line of Control” from “the Cease-fire Line”.
- consternation (noun) – a sudden and unexpected feeling of worry/anxiety that causes confusion; dismay, surprise, shock.
- go on (phrasal verb) – continue, carry on, proceed; happen, take place, occur.
- so long as (phrase) – given that, provided that.
- grim (adjective) – terrible, awful, dreadful, horrible.
- phenomenon (noun) – occurrence, event, happening.
- succumb (verb) – die from, pass away as a result of, be a fatality of, fall victim to (a disease or injury).
- front (verb) – to act/serve as a cover for something.
- mortar (noun) – a short gun for shooting shells (bombs) at high angles.
- splinter (noun) – the foreign body lodged inside tissue. (here, it is the splinter of a mortar shell).
- claim (verb) – to cause the loss of someone’s life; to cause someone’s death.
- in the aftermath of (phrase) – as a consequence of, as a result of.
- dilution (noun) – reduction in value of something.
- lockdown (noun) – an emergency protocol implemented by the authorities that prevents people from leaving from a place; An extended state of confinement/encirclement/isolation of a person by the authority.
- address (verb) – tackle, deal with, attend to, try to sort out.
- obviously (adverb) – clearly, evidently, manifestly, undoubtedly.
- normalcy (noun) – a normal condition; normality, regularity.
- aspect (noun) – factor, particular, detail.
- sphere (noun) – an area of activity.
- repair (noun) – condition, shape, state.
- personnel (noun) – staff, employees, workforce.
- mission (noun) – embassy, consulate.
- point to (verb) – indicate, suggest, denote.
- breakdown (noun) – failure, collapse, foundering.
- adhere to (verb) – abide by, follow, obey, comply with.
- reciprocal (adjective) – mutual, common, shared.
- protocol (noun) – procedure, convention, policy, rules of conduct.
- regarding (preposition) – about, with regard to, with reference to, concerning.
- tit-for-tat (phrase) – equivalent retaliation; counterattack, revenge, an eye for an eye.
- expel (verb) – banish, exile, deport, evict, expatriate.
- espionage (noun) – the act of spying; obtaining secret or confidential (political or military) information of a country and/or disclosing it without the permission of that country; undercover work, infiltration, counter-intelligence.
- diplomatic (adjective) – ambassadorial, consular.
- spare (verb) – refrain from (injuring/distressing); not harm, leave uninjured, leave unhurt.
- harassment (noun) – persecution, ill treatment, persistent annoyance, coercion/intimidation.
- episodically (adverb) – irregularly, sporadically, periodically, occasionally.
- on show (phrase) – being exhibited; on display (to be seen by the public).
- studiously (adverb) – deliberately, consciously, intentionally.
- staff (verb) – man, work, operate.
- commensurate (adjective) – equivalent with, proportional, comparable with.
- vastly (adverb) – extremely, immensely, exceedingly, hugely/largely.
- shrink (verb) – lessen, reduce, decrease.
- bilateral (adjective) – involving two groups or countries.
- pandemic (noun) – the worldwide spread of a new disease; The illness spreads around the world and typically affects a large number of people across a wide area.
- rage (verb) – be at its height, be uncontrollable; reach a high degree of intensity.
- curb (noun) – restraint, control/check, restriction, limitation.
- face-to-face (adjective) – confronting, opposing, intimidating (each other).
- prudent (adjective) – wise, sensible, well judged.
