SINGAPORE: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC), General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, said Pakistan and India are close to reducing the troop build-up along their border to levels before conflict erupted between the nuclear-armed neighbours this month, although he warned the crisis has increased the risk of escalation in the future.
According to Kashmir Media Service, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, who is in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue forum, speaking to Reuters, said the two militaries had started the process of drawing down troop levels.
“We have almost come back to the pre-22nd April situation… we are approaching that, or may have already reached it,” said Mirza. He credited Pakistan’s strong and effective response for forcing India to reduce its troop presence along the border.
He said that significant damage had already occurred before the international community became actively involved. He said while there was no move towards nuclear weapons during the recent conflict, it was a dangerous situation.
“Nothing happened this time,” he said. “But you can’t rule out any strategic miscalculation at any time, because when the crisis is on, the responses are different.” He also said the risk of escalation in the future had increased since the fighting this time was not limited to the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
“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,” Mirza said. “This is a very dangerous trend.”
Mirza warned that international mediation might be difficult in the future because of a lack of crisis management mechanisms between the countries. Pakistan was open to dialogue, he added, but beyond a crisis hotline between the directors general of military operations and some hotlines at the tactical level on the border, there was no other communication between the two countries. Mirza said there were no backchannel discussions, or informal talks, to ease tensions.
He noted that tensions between the two countries may continue in the future as well. For the first time, India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, which is a very alarming and irresponsible step. This decision was taken within just 24 hours of the Pahalgam attack without any evidence. He also said that Pakistan is an agricultural country, and the suspension of the treaty poses a threat to its very existence.
He emphasized that problems can only be resolved through dialogue and consultation; they cannot be solved on the battlefield. He also said he had no plans to meet General Anil Chauhan, India’s chief of defence staff, who is also in Singapore for the Shangri-La forum.
