Pakistan, India to pull back troops to pre-conflict lines by late May

Pakistan and India have agreed to withdraw troop reinforcements deployed during their recent conflict back to their peacetime positions by the end of May, a senior Pakistani security official said on May 20.

More than 70 people were killed in the four-day conflict, which was sparked by an attack on tourists by gunmen in Indian-administered Kashmir last month that New Delhi accused Islamabad of backing – a charge it denies, Caliber.Az reports, citing AFP.

The military confrontation involving intense tit-for-tat drone, missile, aerial combat and artillery exchanges came to an abrupt end after US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire, which is still holding.

“Troops will be withdrawn to pre-conflict positions by the end of May,” the senior security official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

The official said both countries agreed a phased withdrawal of the additional troops and weaponry deployed, mostly on the already heavily militarised de facto border in Kashmir, known as The Line of Control (LoC).

It comes after the Indian army last week said both sides agreed to take “immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas”.

“All of these steps were initially planned to be completed within 10 days, but minor issues caused delays,” the Pakistani official added.

Notably, Kashmir is claimed in full by both India and Pakistan, which have fought several wars over the Muslim majority region since their 1947 independence from British rule.

The latest conflict began on May 7 when India launched strikes against what it said were “terrorist camps” in Pakistan, triggering an immediate response from Islamabad.

By Khagan Isayev