STORY: “We have almost come back to the pre-22nd April situation…”
Pakistan and India are pulling back troops built up along their shared border – approaching levels before the conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors in the past weeks.
That’s according to Pakistan’s General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, who, however, warned that the recent crisis in the disputed area of Kashmir has upped the risk of future escalation.
He said the threshold for conflict has now been lowered, after the attacks on both sides went further than Kashmir.
“Previously, you know, we used to be confined to the disputed territory. This time it has been in the international border. And now in the future, even, it will not be restricted to the disputed territory. It would come down to (the) whole of India and whole of Pakistan… So this is a very dangerous trend.”
The spark for the latest – and worst fighting in decades – was a deadly April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir.
India blamed the incident on what it said were “terrorists” backed by Pakistan, which denied the charge.
Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery in four days of clashes before a ceasefire was announced.
Mirza is the most senior Pakistani military official to speak publicly since the conflict.
He said Pakistan is open to dialog but that there was no communication between the two countries, beyond some military crisis hotlines.
India has maintained a hard line on any possible diplomatic solution.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that: “If Pakistan is serious about talks, it should hand over terrorists… to India so that justice is served.”
Its defense ministry and Chief of Defense Staff office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Mirza’s remarks.