Pakistan says ceasefire with India to be extended to May 18 as truce holds

ISLAMABAD – The ceasefire between Pakistan and India will be extended to May 18, a top official in Islamabad said, indicating the respite in fighting is holding after clashes in May brought the two nuclear-armed nations close to a full-blown war.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar added in a speech to Parliament on May 15 that his country would not violate the truce, which will “ultimately go to a dialogue, and it will be a composite dialogue”.

The Indian Army said in a statement on the same day that it would continue to work on confidence-building measures with Pakistan “so as to reduce the alertness level”.

The two nations, which have clashed on many occasions over the disputed territory of Kashmir, conducted tit-for-tat military strikes for several days from May 7, accusing each other of escalating the conflict.

Both sides agreed to halt firing at each other on May 10. While there were reports of the neighbours violating the truce in the hours after it was called, the agreement has appeared to be holding since then.

Tensions first erupted on April 22, when gunmen killed 26 civilians – mainly tourists – in India’s Jammu and Kashmir region. India called the attack an act of terrorism and accused Pakistan of involvement, allegations Islamabad has denied.

India and Pakistan have a history of bitter relations over the disputed land of Jammu and Kashmir, which they both rule in part but claim in full. The neighbours have fought two wars over it since 1947 and accused each other of sponsoring militancy. BLOOMBERG

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