India and Pakistan Sign Ceasefire in Kashmir
Map of Kashmir, with territory controlled by Pakistan in green and territory under Indian control in blue; the Line of Actual Control marks the de facto border, with both countries claiming the territory of the other (Wikimedia Commons).
The foreign ministries of India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire in the hotly-contested Kashmir region on February 25, with both sides agreeing to strictly observe a truce along the Line of Control (LoC) border. A joint statement released by the countries stated that “both sides agreed for strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control and all other sectors with effect from midnight.”
The ceasefire is the first truce between the countries since 2003 and marks a welcome de-escalation in a region that has recently faced acute tension. The Kashmir region, divided into Indian and Pakistani-administered territories, has long been a source of conflict between the two neighbors. While Pakistan claims that it deserves to rule the Muslim-majority region, India sees the territory as an integral part of its country because of an alliance made with the local king several decades ago.
The two countries have fought multiple wars in the high-altitude climate, and the region became once again inflamed in early 2019 when a suicide truck bomb killed 40 Indian soldiers in the Pulwama district of Indian-administered Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of funding the terrorist group that led the attack, Jaish-e-Mohammed. It then proceeded to conduct an airstrike in northern Pakistan, where India claims to have destroyed a camp run by the militant group. Pakistan responded with airstrikes of its own, shooting down an Indian fighter jet and detaining the pilot, who they released shortly afterward to de-escalate tensions following international attention.
Since then, both sides have remained on high alert along the LoC, although India’s attention during 2020 largely turned to its Himalayan border with China. This February, India and China reached an agreement to pull their troops out of the Ladakh region, where skirmishes broke out in the summer of 2020 and killed numerous troops on both sides. India’s drive for a ceasefire with Pakistan likely came from fears of having to fight a two-front conflict with Pakistan and China, especially considering that the two countries have built extensive economic ties with one another and hope to balance out any advantages held by their common foe; India. China has sought to expand its multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative infrastructure project into Pakistan, although efforts have stalled in recent months.
Others suspect that the ceasefire, as well as the larger cooling of tensions in Kashmir between the three powers, comes as the countries try to figure out the United States’ foreign policy strategy for the region under President Joe Biden. India in particular has hopes for closer U.S. ties, especially in the face of the growing China-Pakistan alliance. “When it comes to the U.S. role, we continue to support direct dialogue between India and Pakistan on Kashmir and other issues of concern,” Ned Price, spokesman for the State Department, told reporters.