ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan and India on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to a ceasefire along the troubled border between the two countries after a year of bloody skirmishes, which were welcomed in both countries to reduce tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
A joint statement issued by the military states of the two countries states that top officials on both sides have agreed to keep the ceasefire along the line of control, as the disputed border is called, strict and to communicate through a hotline. to resolve possible misunderstandings.
“This is a victory of diplomacy and, according to God’s will, more paths will open in the future,” Moeed Yusuf, Pakistan’s de facto national security adviser, told The New York Times in a brief statement.
An Indian official with knowledge of the development, who asked anonymity to comment because he was not authorized to speak to the news media, said meetings between the two parties in neutral places have increased and led in the past month led to the renewed commitment.
Mr. Yusuf, without addressing the exact nature of the discussions, confirmed a long unknown conversation between the two governments. But he has rejected Indian news reports about at least one meeting between him and his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, as part of efforts to advance efforts to reduce tensions.
“These things happen behind the scenes – it takes a lot of effort,” he said.
The reaffirmation of a ceasefire comes during a broader de-escalation in the region after a year in which India was increasingly gripped by slow but deadly conflict on two fronts: with Pakistan along the line of control, and with Pakistan’s ally. China along another border high in the Himalayas, called the line of real control.
Pakistan is also looking for an opportunity to restore relations with President Biden’s new US government, after years of pressure from the Trump administration to curb the terrorist safe havens that remain in the country. Analysts have said that Pakistan’s efforts to reduce the risk of a major conflict in South Asia, if the commitment to a ceasefire is maintained, would be reflected in Washington’s calculations.
Tensions have been particularly high between India and Pakistan since a suicide bombing killed ten people in the disputed area of Kashmir in 2019. India has accused Pakistan of harboring the terrorists who carried out the bombing and carrying out airstrikes inside Pakistan. Pakistan responds with its own airstrikes and then shoots down an Indian fighter jet, holding the pilot short and then releasing him in an attempt to reduce tensions.
Since then, small, though sometimes fatal, skirmishes have regularly broken out along the border despite a ceasefire agreement in 2003. Last year, most violations took place, with about 5,000 incidents between the countries, leading to a long history of war and mutual antagonism. .
‘This is a tremendous development in South Asia. “Relations between India and Pakistan have faltered on the brink of major conflict,” said Asfandyar Mir, a fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation. “Pulling back from that point is important and a surprising turnaround.”
The news of a renewed commitment to the ceasefire was particularly welcomed by communities living along the border, which carried the skirmishes and mortar shelling from both sides.
Lal Din Khatana, a farmer living next to the fence that divides the two lands in the town of Churnada, in northern Kashmir, said he ran out of his house to notify his neighbors and friends as soon as he heard the news heard.
He said hundreds of thousands of people living along the line of control suffered a senseless loss of life and repeated displacement that deprived them of their basic dignity. His own home has been destroyed three times in the past two decades by shelling from the Pakistani side, he said.
“The dead will not return, but those who are still alive must live a dignified life,” he said. Khatana (48) said. “This news has given us a new life.”
The growing problems along the border with Pakistan threatened to trap India in a two-front conflict, as deadly clashes also broke out along the border of Himalayas with China. Earlier this month, the Indian and Chinese military administrations agreed to withdraw troops from a disputed valley where the two countries came to a violent standstill.
Pakistan and China are an ally of India’s view as a threat in their backyard, with China often coming to Pakistan’s aid due to international pressure on it to nurture terrorist groups.
Brahma Chellaney, a professor of strategic studies at the New Delhi Center for Policy Research, said it was no coincidence that the number of violations on the Indian border with Pakistan reached a record high during a year when Indian tensions on the Chinese front has not increased. .
The reaffirmation of a ceasefire along the Pakistani border comes only after China began easing tensions with India.
“China and Pakistan have little in common except a share in India,” he said. Chellaney said. “The prospect of a two-front war, should India clash with any country, certainly promotes interest.”
Salman Masood reports from Islamabad, and Mujib Mashal and Hari Kumar from New Delhi. Iqbal Kirmani reported from Srinagar, Kashmir.