Pakistan Offers De-escalation: Military Stops If India Halts Operations.

Pakistan Warns: Military Will Refrain Only If India Stops Operations

Pakistani Defence Minister expressed his nation’s readiness to lower tensions with India provided that Indian forces would end their present military operations. The Pakistani Defence Minister made this announcement as tensions grew after the Pahalgam attack and unconfirmed reports suggested Indian forces launched “Operation Sindoor” against terror facilities across Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

During a press conference in Islamabad the Pakistani representative indicated the country was open to de-escalation by proposing military restraint if India maintained its operations. According to the Defence Minister the government wants to solve this crisis peacefully and will move ahead with de-escalation provided India follows suit.

The Minister declared Pakistan would stop all military activities against India when New Delhi stops their military operations. “We are ready to refrain from further military actions if India halts its operations,” the Minister claimed as he stressed Pakistan’s dedication to sustaining regional peace. The official urged international organizations to step forward and help both nations establish dialogue.

The Pakistani Minister acknowledged Pakistan possesses sovereign authority to protect its territorial boundaries. Through his statement Pakistan rejected responsibility for the Pahalgam terror attack while condemning Indian “unprovoked aggression” from claimed cross-border strikes.

The statement holds special importance at its current moment. The statement emerged following media reports about “Operation Sindoor” that aimed strikes against terror bases of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan and PoK. The apparent execution of Operation Sindoor marks India’s strongest counter-terrorism effort to date. Pakistan’s de-escalation initiative seems to serve as a means to stop the development of full-scale military conflict.

The statement was also made following the UNSC consultations: During these consultations, Pakistan came under scrutiny on account of the Pahalgam attack, while Pakistan’s missile tests were described as escalatory. Pakistan’s call for international intervention thus points at a desire to involve the global community in resolving the crisis.

Meanwhile, it remains to be seen how India will respond to Pakistan’s offer. New Delhi has consistently stated its position that it will not tolerate cross-border terrorism and has insisted that Pakistan must take concrete action against those terror groups that operate from its soil. India will thus most probably seek credible and verifiable steps from Pakistan to eliminate the terrorist infrastructure and ensure that such actions do not occur in the future.

Read More : UNSC Questions Pakistan on Pahalgam Attack, Slams Missile Escalation

The entire world is watching the situation unfold with bated breath, worried that bigger things might come up in the escalation between these two nuclear powers. These powers, including the US and China, have called on the two to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue.

How much Pakistan’s offer of de-escalation will actually reduce tensions will be decided in days ahead. The actual de-escalation will depend on whether both parties are ready to engage in meaningful dialogue and agree to take concrete steps to address the real issues behind the conflict. It is, in fact, expected that the international community may assist quite much in this process.

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