Color Me Confused

CNN.com - U.S.: Nuke war would kill millions

Up to 17 million people would be killed or injured in the first weeks of an all-out nuclear war between India and Pakistan, according to the Pentagon.

So what I'm confused about is this drive to assume that a conflict betweeen India and Pakistan must go nuclear. Where is all this fear coming from? Is this the media shivering in anticipation, or are they hearing something they're not reporting?