Pakistan, India renew ceasefire commitment

ISLAMABAD — 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, a move welcomed in both countries for lowering tensions in the tinderbox region.

A joint statement released by the militaries of the two countries said that top officials from both sides had agreed to a strict observance of the truce along the Line of Control, as the disputed stretch of the frontier is called, and to continue communicating through a hotline to resolve potential misunderstandings.

“This is a victory of diplomacy and, God willing, more avenues will open in the future,” said Moeed Yusuf, Pakistan’s de facto national security adviser.

An Indian official with knowledge of the developments who asked for anonymity to comment because he was not authorized to speak to the news media, said that backchannel meetings between the two sides in neutral locations had intensified over the past month and had led to the renewed commitment.

Indian news media reported that at least one facetoface meeting between Yusuf and his Indian counterpart, Ajit Doval, had taken place in a third country to advance the efforts to reduce tensions.

Yusuf, without addressing the exact nature of the discussions, confirmed the talks.

“These things happen behind the scenes — it takes a lot of effort,” he said.

Tensions have been particularly high between India and Pakistan since air strikes in 2019.

In retaliation for an attack on Indian forces in the Indiancontrolled part of Kashmir, India blamed militants in Pakistan and carried out aerial bombings across the border. Pakistan responded with an air strike in the Indian side of Kashmir.

While those were the most notable episodes of violence in recent years between the two nations, which have faced off in multiple wars, smaller deadly skirmishes have frequently broken out along the border despite a ceasefire agreement in 2003. Last year saw the highest number of violations, with about 5,000 incidents recorded.