India Pakistan maintain war of words after ceasefire

BENGALURU – Even after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, following four days of high-stakes military confrontation, both sides are still rattling sabres.

Newspapers in both countries have depicted their respective prime ministers with fists raised and eyes blazing. Television anchors added even more combative language as they analysed the speeches.

Both sides are actively trying to shape perceptions of what the fighting across the Line of Control (LoC) – or the de facto border between the nuclear-armed neighbours – has achieved and, most importantly, who has “won”.

How they frame their wins and losses will have a bearing on not only the strength of the ceasefire and future bilateral relations, but also the political performance of each leader’s party at home, analysts say.

Accusing Pakistan of having a hand in an April 22 terror attack that killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam, in Indian-held Kashmir, India’s military on May 7 struck nine “terror infrastructure” targets in Pakistan.

Pakistan, which denies involvement in the April attack, responded with artillery fire across the border into Indian-held Kashmir.

Tit-for-tat hostilitiesensued, marked by claims, counterclaims and disinformation on both sides, till the conflict was paused by the ceasefire that US President Donald Trump said was brokered by Washington.

Immediately after the ceasefire, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised his military’s “professional and effective” response to what he described as Indian aggression.

He credited the military for reducing Indian military depots, ammunition storage places and airbases to ruins. India panned this claim as “a tissue of lies”.

In a national address on May 12, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “The world saw how Pakistan’s drones and missiles crumbled like straw before India’s powerful air defence systems... Pakistan had planned attacks at the border, but India struck deep into Pakistan’s