Amid tense truce, reset in India-Pakistan relations still a distant prospect

India and Pakistan's prompt acceptance of a ceasefire brokered by the US on May 10 proves that neither country wanted to go to war.

- Nirmala Ganapathy

NEW DELHI -

But with red lines crossed in rapid tit-for-tat military and drone strikes in the three preceding days as each attacked the other's cities and defence installations, keeping tensions under check would continue to be a challenge, analysts say.

"Ties are the worst in quite some time," said Dr Manoj Joshi, a distinguished fellow at Delhi-based think-tank Observer Research Foundation.

Relations between India and Pakistan have been in stasis even before this recent outbreak of hostilities, with diplomatic dialogue suspended over the past few years.

But the militaries have been in communication. The Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) held talks on May 12 to further firm up the ceasefire.

India accused Pakistan of having a hand in an April 22 terror attack in scenic Pahalgam in Indian-held Kashmir. Seen as one of the worst terror attacks targeted at civilians in recent years, it left one Nepali and 25 Indian tourists dead.

While the Indian government previously undertook limited cross-border strikes in 2016 and 2019 following terrorist attacks, this time it went deeper into Pakistan, hitting nine "terror infrastructure" targets on May 7.

Pakistan, which denied playing a role in the April terror attack, responded to what its prime minister condemned as an "act of war" with artillery fire across the border into Indian-controlled Kashmir.

India said Pakistan had sent waves of drones into Indian states bordering Pakistan.

The ensuing salvos between the two nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours saw both sides scramble jets, submarines and warships in an escalation not seen in recent memory.

While both sides have stepped back from "a pretty dangerous escalatory situation", noted Mr T.C.A. Raghavan, a former Indian high commissioner to Pakistan and Singapore, the crisis advanced much further this time than it had in the past after a major terrorist attack.