Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that Pakistan and India have reached a consensus to return to a peacetime posture, with both countries’ security advisers scheduled to hold discussions at a neutral location.
Speaking to senior journalists, the Prime Minister outlined four key topics Pakistan will raise in the talks: Kashmir, water disputes, trade, and terrorism.
According to Dawn News, the Prime Minister stated that Pakistan has credible evidence of Indian involvement in terrorism through banned outfits like the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). “We will present this evidence before the international community,” he said. He also revealed that the recent ceasefire request came from India.
Shehbaz Sharif added that while there is agreement to de-escalate tensions, India has yet to agree to holding formal talks in a third-party country. He further claimed that Israel provided extensive support to India during the recent conflict, including military advisors and weapons, particularly in Srinagar and other sensitive areas. “We have concrete evidence of Israeli weapons being used,” he said.
He also disclosed that the decision to promote Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal was made by the government, not the military, and was taken in consultation with PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif. “This was my decision, but I did consult Nawaz Sharif before finalizing it,” he emphasized.
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In a related development, it was reported in Dawn that Pakistan and India have agreed to withdraw additional troops deployed along the Line of Control (LoC) during the recent conflict, aiming to restore pre-conflict positions by the end of May.
As a sign of easing tensions, India has also resumed the daily flag-lowering ceremony at the border, which had been suspended at the start of the clashes. A senior Pakistani security official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, confirmed that both sides would gradually pull back their reinforcements and heavy weaponry from the LoC.
This mutual de-escalation follows one of the most serious confrontations between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades.
