MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistan: Residents near the disputed boundary in the divided Kashmir region on Sunday experienced their first lull since a dangerous escalation between Pakistan and India erupted last week, bringing the two nuclear-armed rivals close to war.
Many villagers used the calm in Pakistan-administered Kashmir to leave their homes in the Chakoti area along the Line of Control (LoC)— the demarcation line that divides the troubled Himalayan region into an Indian and a Pakistani sector — and move to safety.
Nazakat Hussain said his family and others lack underground shelters and had to leave. He said cold weather and snow, along with cross-border shooting, prevented them from leaving earlier.
Pakistani government official Moazzam Zafar said some 200 families have already taken shelter in three large government buildings in the territory. Zafar said the authorities were providing warm clothing, bedding, food and medicines, and would establish more shelters.
At least eight civilians and two soldiers have been killed in Pakistan-administered Kashmir since tensions soared following India’s airstrike last Tuesday inside Pakistan. India said the strike targeted militants behind a Feb. 14 suicide bombing in Indian-administered part of Kashmir that killed more than 40 Indian troops.
Pakistan retaliated, shooting down a fighter jet on Wednesday and detaining its pilot, who was returned to India on Friday. India, in turn, on Saturday handed over the body of a Pakistani civilian prisoner beaten to death by inmates in a jail in India last week. The man, Skahir Ullah, was buried Sunday in his home village of Sialkot in Punjab province.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan practically since their independence from British rule in 1947. The two countries each claim Kashmir in its entirety and have fought two of the three wars between them over it.
The rivals struck a cease-fire deal in 2003 but regularly trade cross-border fire.
On Sunday, British Prime Minister Theresa May spoke by phone with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, welcoming the return of the captured Indian pilot and reduction in tensions.
But she also urged Khan to crack down on terrorist groups operating in Pakistan, according to a Downing Street statement.
“The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of Pakistan taking action against all terrorist groups, in support of global efforts to combat terrorism,” the statement said.
First lull in Kashmir since latest India-Pakistan escalation
First lull in Kashmir since latest India-Pakistan escalation
- Some 200 families have been displaced from villages near the Line of Control
- Tensions escalated at the de-facto border between India and Pakistan after February 14 attack in Pulwama district
Pakistan, Bangladesh vow to strengthen ties, expand cooperation across diverse sectors
- Pakistan FM, Bangladesh’s Khalil ur Rahman promise a ‘forward-looking partnership,’ cooperation at multilateral fora
- Both nations have begun sea trade, resumed direct flights and strengthened institutional linkages amid thaw in ties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bangladesh have agreed to strengthen bilateral relations and expand cooperation across a range of sectors, the Pakistani foreign ministry said on Sunday, amid a thaw in ties between the two countries.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were part of the same country until Bangladesh’s secession following a bloody civil war in 1971, an event that long cast a shadow over bilateral ties.
Both countries have moved closer since 2024, following the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who was considered an India ally as Dhaka-New Delhi ties remain strained over India’s decision to grant asylum to her.
On Sunday, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation with his Bangladeshi counterpart Dr. Khalil-ur-Rahman and congratulated him on his appointment, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.
“Both leaders expressed desire to further strengthening bilateral ties, with a shared vision of peace, stability, and prosperity,” the Pakistani ministry said.
“They also agreed to expand cooperation across diverse sectors and in multilateral fora, building a forward-looking partnership for the peoples of Pakistan and Bangladesh.”
The two South Asian nations began sea trade in late 2024, which were followed by efforts to expand government-to-government commerce. Last month, national carrier Biman Bangladesh Airlines landed in the Pakistani port city of Karachi for the first regular flight since 2012.
Amid growing institutional linkages between the two nations, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif last week said he hoped to further strengthen relations with Bangladesh as Tarique Rahman took oath as the country’s new premier.
Pakistani Planning Miniter Ahsan Iqbal also called on PM Tarique after his oath-taking ceremony in Dhaka and conveyed warm congratulations on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan on his election, according to the Pakistani information ministry.
“Iqbal conveyed a formal invitation from the prime minister of Pakistan to Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to undertake an official visit to Pakistan at a mutually convenient date,” the ministry said.
