India-Pakistan ceasefire holds but borders stay shut

Jammu/Islamabad — The military chiefs of India and Pakistan held talks by phone on Monday as New Delhi reopened airports and shares rose in both countries after a ceasefire that paused days of intense fighting last week.

There were no reports of explosions or projectiles fired overnight, with the Indian army saying Sunday was the first peaceful night along their border in recent days.

Saturday’s ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump, followed four days of intense exchanges of fire as the nuclear-armed arch rivals targeted each other’s military installations with missiles and drones, killing dozens of civilians.

The military chiefs’ discussion focused on the ceasefire, Indian broadcaster CNN-News18 reported, citing top government sources. It said curbs imposed by the countries on each other remained in place, including the suspension of trade and closure of their borders.

The Indian army said details of the talks would be shared soon. The media unit of the Pakistani military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Retaliation

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would explain soon last week’s strikes on “terrorist camps” in Pakistan that sparked the military conflict. He  has not spoken publicly on the strikes or the fighting.

The military confrontation began on Wednesday, when India said it launched strikes on nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites in Pakistan and Pakistan Kashmir after an attack by jihadist militants in Indian Kashmir last month that killed 26 men. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan.

Islamabad denied any links to the attack and called for a neutral investigation. It said the targets hit on Wednesday were civilian sites.

Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan both rule part of the Himalayan region of Kashmir, but claim it in full.

Airports reopen

India’s military sent a “hotline” message to Pakistan on Sunday about what it called its neighbour’s ceasefire violations the previous day, flagging New Delhi’s intent to respond to further such incidents, a top Indian army officer said.

A spokesperson for Pakistan’s military denied any violations.

“In spite of some minor damage, all our military bases and systems continue to remain fully operational,” India’s director-general of air operations, Air Marshal Kumar Bharti, told a media briefing.

On Monday, India reopened 32 airports it had shut during the clashes, with the Airports Authority of India saying in a statement they were available for civil operations. Some schools remained closed.

Pakistan had reopened its airspace on Saturday.

Visitors were kept out of an airport in the border city of Amritsar shortly after the announcement, a witness said.

Dharmendra Singh, a driver in the city sacred to Sikhs, said there was no fear among residents, though the situation was not as serious as in the northern city of Jammu. 

“It’s over now ... it’s good to see the city coming back to its glory,” he said.

Kashmir

Pakistan’s international bonds rallied, adding as much as 5.7c in the dollar, Tradeweb data showed.

Late on Friday, the IMF approved a fresh $1.4bn loan and also the first review of its $7bn programme.

Pakistan’s benchmark share index closed up 9.4% on Monday, while India’s blue-chip Nifty 50 index closed 3.8% higher in its best session since February 2021.

While Islamabad has thanked Washington for facilitating the ceasefire and welcomed Trump’s offer to mediate in the Kashmir issue, New Delhi has not commented on US involvement in the truce or talks at a neutral site.

India, which says disputes with Pakistan have to be resolved directly by the neighbours, has in the past rejected the involvement of any third party.

“Kashmir is a bilateral issue, not an international issue,” Shilpak Ambule, India’s ambassador in Singapore, told Bloomberg TV. “For us, the word mediation does not work with the Kashmir issue.”

China offer

The foreign ministry of China, which also controls a small slice of Kashmir, said Beijing was willing to maintain communication with both its neighbours and play a “constructive role in achieving a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire” and maintaining peace.

India blames Pakistan for an insurgency in its part of Kashmir that began in 1989, but Pakistan says it provides only moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiri separatists.

Some in the region remained concerned despite the ceasefire.

“It is still scary,” said Padam, a traveller in a train from Jammu to New Delhi.

“After blasts all over the city (Jammu), I am scared. I am going to stay in Delhi till I am sure the agreement is binding on Pakistan,” added Padam, who declined to give his second name.

Reuters