Sunday 11 / May / 2025
While there have been reports of drone attacks in Kashmir even after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday, the fact that both sides are claiming victory could bode well, an international relations and security expert has told DW.
Speaking to DW News, Sameer Lalwani of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments said that both sides claiming a strategic win "might not be a terrible thing."
"The only way you can get two sides to agree to climb down from this highly militarized environment is for them to both be able to tell a story to their domestic audiences that they achieved their strategic aims and pulled one over on the other," Lalwani said.
"If both sides can live with that and use information, or maybe even disinformation, to their advantage to make that happen, I think that's crisis-stabilizing," he added.
Lalwani also explained that continued exchanges of fire reported after the ceasefire had been agreed are to be expected.
"Sometimes this happens when you have a de-escalation. Even in 2019, during the last big crisis, while there was de-escalation in terms of the air war, there was continued artillery and exchange of fire on the Line of Control (LoC)," he said. Sharif congratulates Pakistanis on 'victory'
In an address to the nation late on Saturday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated his nation on what he described as a "victory."
In the address, where he did not touch upon Indian accusations that Pakistan has violated the ceasefire, Sharif said the latest escalation was "just an excuse from India," arguing that it was unrelated to the Pahalgam attack. He described it as "baseless war [that] was inflicted upon us."
He said the fighting in the past few days was a testament to Pakistani soldiers' bravery.
The Pakistani prime minister also celebrated the ceasefire agreement announced earlier on Saturday.
"This is a success for the army and the whole Pakistani nation... This is victory," he said.
Sharif concluded his address by saying he was fully confident that water sharing, Kashmir and all other controversial issues with India would be resolved.
Pakistan 'committed' to ceasefire, Foreign Ministry says
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry stressed its commitment to the ceasefire agreement reached earlier today, amid Indian accusations that Pakistan has violated the truce.
"Notwithstanding the violations being committed by India in some areas, our forces are handling the situation with responsibility and restraint," a spokesperson to the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.
"We believe that any issues in smooth implementation of the ceasefire should be addressed through communication at appropriate levels," the spokesperson added. "The troops on ground should also exercise restraint.”
