Pakistan and India are close to reducing their troop presence along the border following this month’s deadly clashes. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Pakistan’s top military official, said both countries have nearly returned to pre-conflict troop levels. He spoke to Reuters while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. However, he warned that the recent escalation has raised long-term risks of a future crisis getting out of control.
The conflict began after a deadly attack on April 22 in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 people. India blamed the attack on Pakistan-based militants and responded with missile strikes across the border. Pakistan then carried out retaliatory attacks, and both sides increased military forces near the frontier. The clashes involved fighter jets, missiles, drones, and artillery — marking the worst violence between the nations in decades.
Though a ceasefire followed four days of fighting, General Mirza said this conflict was more dangerous than past ones. Unlike previous skirmishes limited to Kashmir, both sides attacked targets within their mainlands. He said this shift “lowers the threshold” for nuclear-armed countries like India and Pakistan. Any future conflict, he warned, could quickly escalate beyond disputed areas, with little time for outside intervention.
Mirza stressed that there was no move towards using nuclear weapons this time, but the lack of communication channels between the two countries remains a concern. Apart from a crisis hotline, there is little direct contact. He noted the limited role of international diplomacy, saying Pakistan remains open to talks. However, he confirmed there are no backchannel discussions and no plans to meet India’s defence chief during the forum.
India, on the other hand, insists that any talks must be bilateral and free of violence. Its foreign ministry recently said, “talks and terror don’t go together.” Mirza, however, maintained that only dialogue — not war — can resolve issues between the two neighbours. He called the current pattern of conflict a “very dangerous trend” and urged both sides to engage in meaningful discussions to avoid further instability in the region.