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Gulf Today
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Pakistan, India close to completing border troop reduction, says senior military general
Pakistan and India are close to reducing the troop build up along their border to levels before conflict erupted between the nuclear-armed neighbours this month, a top Pakistani military official told Reuters on Friday, although he warned the crisis had increased the risk of escalation in the future. Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery in four days of clashes, their worst fighting in decades, before a ceasefire was announced. The spark for the latest fighting between the old enemies was an April 22 attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident on 'terrorists' backed by Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad. On May 7, India launched missiles at what it said were 'terrorist infrastructure' sites across the border and as Pakistan responded with its own attacks, both countries built up additional forces along the frontier. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Pakistan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview that the two militaries had started the process of drawing down troop levels. 'We have almost come back to the pre-22nd April situation... we are approaching that, or we must have approached that by now,' said Mirza, the most senior Pakistani military official to speak publicly since the conflict. India's ministry of defence and the office of the Indian chief of defence staff did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the remarks by Mirza. Mirza, who is in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue forum, said while there was no move towards nuclear weapons during this conflict, it was a dangerous situation. 'Nothing happened this time,' he said. 'But you can't rule out any strategic miscalculation at any time, because when the crisis is on, the responses are different.' He also said the risk of escalation in the future had increased since the fighting this time was not limited to the disputed territory of Kashmir. The two sides attacked military installations in their mainlands but neither has acknowledged any serious damage. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned Pakistan this month that New Delhi would target 'terrorist hideouts' across the border again if there were new attacks on India. 'This (conflict) lowers the threshold between two countries who are contiguous nuclear the future, it will not be restricted to the disputed territory. It would come down to (the) whole of India and (the) whole of Pakistan,' Mirza said. 'This is a very dangerous trend.' Reuters has reported that the rapid escalation of hostilities ended in part because of behind-the-scenes diplomacy involving the US, India and Pakistan, and the key role played by Washington in brokering peace. India has denied any third-party role in the ceasefire and said that any engagement between India and Pakistan has to be bilateral. But Mirza warned that international mediation might be difficult in the future because of a lack of crisis management mechanisms between the countries. 'The time window for the international community to intervene would now be very less, and I would say that damage and destruction may take place even before that time window is exploited by the international community,' he said. Pakistan was open to dialogue, he added, but beyond a crisis hotline between the directors general of military operations and some hotlines at the tactical level on the border, there was no other communication between the two countries. New Delhi has maintained a hard line on any possible rapprochement. 'If there are talks, it will only be on terrorism and (Pakistan Kashmir),' Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday. 'If Pakistan is serious about talks, it should hand over India so that justice is served.' Mirza said there were no backchannel discussions, or informal talks, to ease tensions. He also said he had no plans to meet General Anil Chauhan, India's chief of defence staff, who is also in Singapore for the Shangri-La Forum. 'These issues can only be resolved by dialogue and consultations, on the table. They cannot be resolved on the battlefield,' Mirza said. Reuters
The Hindu
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Weeks after Operation Sindoor, Indian CDS and Pakistani counterpart attend conference in Singapore
Barely weeks after the ceasefire between the two militaries following Operation Sindoor, Indian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan and Pakistan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) General Shamshad Mirza will address parallel sessions at the Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore on Saturday (May 31, 2025). While the military leaders are not expected to meet, the four-day conflict that broke out when India launched strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan, is likely to be one of the issues discussed at the conference, which is hosted annually by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. French President Emmanuel Macron gave a keynote address on Friday (May 29, 2025), and U.S. Defense Secretary Peter Hegseth and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will both address the conference on Saturday. General Chauhan will speak along with military chiefs from Brazil, Germany, Ukraine, and the U.S.'s Indo-Pacific Command chief at a panel on 'Defence Innovation Solutions for Future Challenges', where the development and use of drone warfare, cyber ware, and artificial intelligence are likely to be discussed. In a simultaneous session, General Mirza will be part of a panel with military counterparts and officials from Canada, Fiji, and the Pacific Islands Forum, speaking about 'Regional Crisis Management Mechanisms'. Troop reduction In an interview to Reuters on the sidelines of the conference in Singapore on Friday, General Mirza said that troop levels at the border had 'almost come back' to the situation prior to the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22. 'This [conflict] lowers the threshold between two countries who are contiguous nuclear powers,' General Mirza was quoted as saying in the interview. 'In the future, it will not be restricted to the disputed territory. It would come down to [the] whole of India and [the] whole of Pakistan,' he said, calling the situation a 'dangerous trend' and adding that Pakistan is 'open to dialogue' with India. The Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Defence did not comment on the interview. On Thursday (May 28, 2025), however, the MEA had rejected Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif's suggestion of talks, saying that India would only talk to Pakistan about the return of wanted terrorists and Pakistani troops vacating Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, and no other talks are possible until Pakistan stops supporting terror groups on its territory. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also rejected Pakistan's 'nuclear blackmail' in a speech in May, adding that any terrorist attack in the future would be seen as an 'act of war' that India would respond to. New American ambitions Mr. Hegseth's speech on the U.S.'s 'new ambitions' for Indo-Pacific security will also be closely watched at the conference that brings U.S. and Chinese defence officials on the same platform. In particular, the Trump administration's vision for the Quad Summit that India is hosting this year will be significant. China is being represented by Major General Hu Gangfeng, vice president of the National Defense University, who will speak at another parallel session at the same time as General Chauhan's session. He is expected to speak about managing nuclear proliferation risks in the region. A note issued by the Ministry of Defence said that, during his visit to Singapore, General Chauhan will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Australia, the European Union, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. (with inputs from Devesh K. Pandey)
Express Tribune
a day ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Pakistan, India start reducing troops after border clashes: Lt. General Sahir Shamshad
General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Pakistan's chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, speaks during an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit, in Singapore, May 30, 2025, in this screengrab from a video. Photo:REUTERS Listen to article Pakistan and India are close to reducing the troop buildup along their border to levels before conflict erupted between the nuclear-armed neighbours this month, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Pakistan's Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Reuters on Friday, although he warned the crisis had increased the risk of escalation in the future. Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, drones, and artillery in four days of clashes, their worst fighting in decades, before a ceasefire was announced. The recent clashes between Pakistan and India arose following the Pahalgam attack on April 22 in Indian Illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that killed 26 people, most of them tourists. New Delhi blamed the incident without evidence on Pakistani elements, a charge denied by Islamabad, which sought an independent probe into the incident. Breaking 🚨 Pakistan & India withdraw troops from the forward positions, confirmed by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. "We have almost come back to the pre-22nd April situation," Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza told Reuters. — Murtaza Ali Shah (@MurtazaViews) May 30, 2025 On May 7, India launched missiles at civilian sites, which it claims to describe as "terrorist infrastructure" across the border. This prompted a defensive response from Pakistan and a subsequent troop buildup by both countries along the frontier. General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Pakistan's chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the two militaries had started the process of drawing down troop levels. "We have almost come back to the pre-April 22 situation... we are approaching that, or we must have approached that by now," said Mirza, the most senior Pakistani military official to speak publicly since the conflict. India's Ministry of Defence and the office of the Indian Chief of Defence Staff did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the remarks by Mirza. Mirza, who is in Singapore to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue forum, said while there was no move towards nuclear weapons during this conflict, it was a dangerous situation. "Nothing happened this time," he said. "But you can't rule out any strategic miscalculation at any time, because when the crisis is on, the responses are different." He also said the risk of escalation in the future had increased since the fighting this time was not limited to the IIOJK, the scenic region in the Himalayas that both nations rule in part but claim in full. Dangerous trend The two countries have fought three major wars, two of them over the disputed Kashmir region, and numerous armed skirmishes since both were born out of British colonial India in 1947. "This (conflict) lowers the threshold between two countries who are contiguous nuclear the future, it will not be restricted to the disputed territory. It would come down to (the) whole of India and (the) whole of Pakistan," Mirza said. "This is a very dangerous trend." Reuters has reported that the rapid escalation of hostilities ended in part because of behind-the-scenes diplomacy involving the US, India, and Pakistan, and the key role played by Washington in brokering peace. India continues to deny any third-party role in the ceasefire and said that any engagement between India and Pakistan has to be bilateral. But Mirza warned that international mediation might be difficult in the future because of a lack of crisis management mechanisms between the countries. "The time window for the international community to intervene would now be very less, and I would say that damage and destruction may take place even before that time window is exploited by the international community," he said. Pakistan was open to dialogue, he added, but beyond a crisis hotline between the directors general of military operations and some hotlines at the tactical level on the border, there was no other communication between the two countries. Mirza said there were no backchannel discussions or informal talks to ease tensions. He also said he had no plans to meet General Anil Chauhan, India's chief of defence staff, who is also in Singapore for the Shangri-La forum. "These issues can only be resolved by dialogue and consultations, at the table. They cannot be resolved on the battlefield," Mirza said.
Mint
2 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Japan Boosts Military Push Against China With US Stand Vague
Japan is stepping up efforts to deter China's military ambitions in the Asia-Pacific as Tokyo and other US partners seek clarity from the Trump administration about its plans to counter Beijing's power in the region. For the first time, Japan sent destroyers through the Taiwan Strait on two occasions in recent months, according to a person familiar with the operations, a sign of its willingness to directly challenge China over the waterway and the self-governing island it claims as its own. Japan has also increased its military budget and the tempo of its naval exercises as far away as the Indian Ocean and South China Sea, a region Beijing claims almost complete control over but which is a vital trade route for the global economy. 'When I was younger and even in the first decade of this century, we used to stay close to Japan's shores,' said Katsuya Yamamoto, a retired rear admiral in Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force. 'Now the world has changed, and the Japanese people accept that we can't just passively allow China's actions.' It's not just Japan taking note. China's assertiveness has alarmed many governments: Beijing has in recent years ramped up aerial and naval deployments around Taiwan, repeatedly confronted Philippine vessels around disputed islands and shoals and sent warships into international waters off the coast of Sydney. Those actions and the response in Asia will be one point of discussion for military leaders meeting in Singapore starting Friday for the Shangri-La Dialogue. The annual gathering typically includes high-level officials from China and the U.S. This year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will give a speech Saturday at the event, which Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun is skipping. It's the first time time China isn't sending its top military diplomat to the conference since 2019. The US delegation will include the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, and Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of Indo-Pacific Command. Read: China Defense Minister Skips Singapore Forum Attended by Hegseth While Japan has for decades been wary of foreign military entanglements, in part due to a World War II-era constitution that bars the use of force to settle disputes, Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and a Chinese missile barrage over Taiwan in 2022 marked a turning point. Now Tokyo is doing more to boost defense ties with regional partners such as the Philippines and Australia just as Trump raises questions about the US commitment to historic alliances. The US president has said Japan and South Korea don't pay the US enough for basing American troops in their countries and has been ambiguous about his support for Taiwan if it came under attack. Japan can't afford that ambiguity. The most southerly of Japan's islands is just 70 miles from Taiwan, and Tokyo fears it could be drawn into any conflict over the archipelago that China views as its territory. Beijing regularly warns against Japanese military activity in the region. After Japanese news outlets reported the transit of a Japanese destroyer through the Taiwan Strait in February, Zhang Xiaogang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, said: 'China respects the navigation rights of all countries under international law, but firmly opposes any country creating trouble in the Taiwan Strait, infringing upon China's sovereignty and security, and sending wrong signals to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces.' Opinion polls show growing support in Japan for a more visible role for the Self-Defense Forces, as the military is known. Yet the scale of the challenge is daunting. While China's actual defense spending is unclear, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute estimates it spent around $314 billion on its military in 2024, about half of all defense spending in Asia and Oceania. Largely in response, Japan is raising defense spending more rapidly than at any time in recent decades. In 2022, Tokyo pledged ¥43 trillion to a military build-up that would span five years and lift defense spending to roughly 2% of gross domestic product from just over 1%. Total defense-related spending this fiscal year is set to reach ¥9.9 trillion, including funds to develop a network of satellites to improve the detection of incoming missiles. Japan has also begun taking delivery of 147 US-built F-35 Lightning II jets, the world's most advanced stealth fighter. Those F-35s will be equipped with long-range cruise missiles that could hit targets in China from hundreds of miles away. Tokyo is also developing long-range missiles that could be deployed at a string of military bases along its southwest island chain. So-called 'stand-off' missile capabilities are core to a defense strategy adopted in 2022 to threaten Chinese military bases that could be used against Japan. The same year, Japan was shaken when China launched missiles over Taiwan that landed in the sea in Japan's exclusive economic zone after a visit to Taipei by then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The missiles added to anxieties that Beijing might target Japan and US military bases in the country as part of any attempt to seize Taiwan. Japan has also felt pressure from heightened Chinese coast guard and military activity around uninhabited islands that Tokyo controls in the East China Sea. 'The desire to avoid conflict after the bitter experience of World War II made Japan allergic to possessing weapons. More people understand now that simply having them can demoralize and deter the enemy,' said Misa Sakurabayashi, a security analyst based in Tokyo who has advised the government on defense issues. China says it wants to resolve the Taiwan issue peacefully, but hasn't ruled out the use of force. In addition to developing its own capabilities, Japan has been working with other Asian democracies to bolster collective deterrence. In 2023, it created a new category of foreign aid called official security assistance to fund military investments, primarily in Asia. On a visit to Manila earlier this year, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. agreed to begin talks on sharing some basic military supplies. Last year, the two countries signed a deal to ease border controls to facilitate more military training. The Philippines and Japan are also discussing sharing real-time military intelligence in an arrangement similar to one Japan has with South Korea. On a visit to Tokyo in March, Hegseth said the US will 're-build' deterrence against China with allies including Japan. He pledged to follow through on Biden administration plans to establish a new military command center in Japan and said he'll deploy more advanced capabilities to the Philippines. At the same time, Trump has criticized the US-Japan Security Treaty, saying it's a better deal for Tokyo than Washington. Japan, meanwhile, has made its own calculation that it has to send a clear message to China, according to Kocihi Isobe, a retired lieutenant general in Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force. 'If deterrence fails, the price to pay will be very high,' he said. With assistance from Yasufumi Saito, Josh Xiao and Lucille Liu. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Ammon
2 days ago
- Politics
- Ammon
Army Chief meets with French Ambassador to discuss military cooperation
Ammon News - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Ahmad Al-Hunaiti received French Ambassador to Jordan Alexis Le Cour Grandmaison at the General Command headquarters on Thursday. The two officials discussed bilateral cooperation in the military and defense fields, as well as regional developments of mutual concern. The meeting focused on strengthening joint coordination and enhancing defense ties between the two countries. Also present were several senior officers from the Jordanian Armed Forces and the French defense attaché in Amman. Petra
