Singapore — Pakistan and India have begun reducing troop deployments along their shared border, nearly returning to the levels seen before violent clashes erupted earlier this month, according to General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC).
In an exclusive conversation with Reuters during the Shangri-La Dialogue forum in Singapore, General Mirza confirmed that both countries are in the process of de-escalation. “We have almost come back to the pre-22nd April situation… we are approaching that, or we must have approached that by now,” he said.
The recent flare-up between the two nuclear-armed nations followed a deadly April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam area that claimed the lives of 26 people, including tourists. India blamed the assault on Pakistan-backed militants — an accusation Islamabad firmly rejected.
Tensions soared in early May as India conducted air strikes inside Pakistani territory, which reportedly caused civilian casualties. In response, Pakistan downed five Indian jets and intercepted several drones. Both sides exchanged further strikes, including attacks on each other’s airbases. A ceasefire was eventually reached on May 10, following diplomatic intervention from the United States.
Speaking on the nature of the conflict, General Mirza warned of the long-term consequences. “Nothing happened this time,” he noted, referring to the restraint shown regarding nuclear arsenals. “But you can’t rule out any strategic miscalculation at any time, because when the crisis is on, the responses are different.”
He stressed that future confrontations may escalate more broadly, as this latest round of fighting extended beyond the Kashmir region. “This (conflict) lowers the threshold between two countries who are contiguous nuclear powers… 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,” he warned. “This is a very dangerous trend.”
General Mirza further expressed concern over the narrowing window for global mediation, stating, “The time window for the international community to intervene would now be very less, and I would say that damage and destruction may take place even before that time window is exploited by the international community.”
While Pakistan has reiterated its openness to dialogue, Mirza clarified that communication remains minimal. Apart from existing hotlines between directors general of military operations and a few tactical-level contacts, there is no ongoing dialogue mechanism. “These issues can only be resolved by dialogue and consultations, on the table. They cannot be resolved on the battlefield,” he stated.
When asked about informal or backchannel diplomacy, General Mirza revealed that no such efforts are currently underway. He also ruled out a meeting with Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, who is also attending the Singapore forum.
On the Indian side, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh issued a warning, indicating that India may involve its navy in any future conflict with Pakistan. Speaking aboard the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant, Singh said, “If Pakistan resorts to anything evil or unethical, it will, this time, face the firepower and ire of the Indian Navy.”
India has paused its military operation, dubbed Operation Sindoor, but Singh cautioned that it was far from over. “We stopped our military actions on our own terms. Our forces had not even started showing their might,” he said.
Despite these lingering tensions, the troop drawdown signals a tentative move toward stability — though observers remain wary of how fragile the peace might be without stronger crisis management mechanisms in place.