In a significant development that could bring relief to a region long plagued by conflict, Pakistan and India are reportedly rolling back the troop build-up along their tense border.
According to General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, the military presence is now returning to levels seen before the recent April clashes.
Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Gen. Mirza stated, “We have almost come back to the pre-22nd April situation… we are approaching that, or we must have approached that by now.” His comments mark the first public statement by a senior Pakistani military official since the conflict erupted.
The latest round of Pakistan India border tension began after a deadly April 22 attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir, where 26 people—mostly tourists—lost their lives. India blamed Pakistan-backed militants, a claim strongly denied by Islamabad.
In retaliation, New Delhi launched missile strikes on what it described as terrorist infrastructure inside Pakistan. Islamabad responded swiftly with its own attacks, leading to four intense days of cross-border fighting involving jets, missiles, drones, and heavy artillery—the worst such clashes in decades.
Though a ceasefire was announced soon after, both countries ramped up their forces along the frontier, raising alarm internationally. Gen. Mirza noted that while the crisis did not reach the nuclear threshold, it created a "very dangerous" scenario. “You can't rule out any strategic miscalculation,” Mirza warned. “When the crisis is on, the responses are different.”
He added that the recent fighting extended beyond the disputed Kashmir region—a disturbing shift. Military targets on both sides were hit within their respective mainlands, a development he called a “dangerous trend.”
“In the future, it will not be restricted to the disputed territory. It would come down to the whole of India and the whole of Pakistan,” the general cautioned.
Behind-the-scenes diplomacy, particularly involving the United States, is believed to have played a critical role in halting the escalation. While Pakistan acknowledges this intervention, India maintains that all matters between the two nations must remain strictly bilateral.
Gen. Mirza also raised concerns about the lack of formal crisis management mechanisms between the two countries. Beyond a crisis hotline between military operations heads, there's little direct communication. “The time window for the international community to intervene would now be very less,” he said, warning that destruction could occur before any diplomatic solution is reached.
With Pakistan India border tension easing for now, Mirza emphasized the need for dialogue over conflict. “There are no backchannel discussions. These issues can only be resolved by dialogue and consultations—on the table, not on the battlefield,” he stressed.
India, however, appears less open to talks. A foreign ministry spokesperson reiterated New Delhi’s stance that “talks and terror don’t go together.”
As both nations cautiously move toward de-escalation, the shadow of future flare-ups looms large. While troop numbers may return to normal, the threat of miscalculation and rapid escalation remains—especially without strong diplomatic frameworks in place.
