New Delhi/Islamabad | By May 16, 2025 Breaking:
India, Pakistan agree to extend LoC truce till May 18NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan have agreed to extend their ceasefire agreement along the Line of Control (LoC) for the next 10 days ending May 18 after high-level backchannel talks, people familiar with the development said.
This latest delay follows weeks of increased concern about the future of the volatile South Asian region. Casualties in the military and among civilians had risen on both sides following sporadic violations of the 2021 ceasefire agreement. The new extension preserves hope for additional restraint from both sides, with discussions planned in the coming days between senior military and diplomatic officials from India and Pakistan.
Background of the Ceasefire Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan have a historically volatile relationship, with tensions especially high over the contested region of Kashmir. The agreement on easing such a ceasefire was a surprise for the two countries when in February, they pledged to “strictly” adhere to the ceasefire along the LoC — the de facto border in Kashmir — after years of cross-border firing in which hundreds of civilians and fighters had been killed or injured.
Ceasefire remained generally intact until early April 2025, when renewed violence was ignited after cross-border infiltration claims, with some armed confrontations and cross-heavy artillery shelling reported in certain sectors. The political rhetoric on both sides also became more hostile, raising fears of a wider confrontation. Background to Extendurations Diplomatic lines between India’s Ministry of External Affairs and Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs have been kept open,” said people familiar with the negotiations privately. Intelligence and military officials directly interacted using the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMO) hotline to "calm" immediate flashpoints, according to reports.
On May 14, an informal joint communique was released confirming that both parties had agreed to extend the ceasefire to May 18 and that the time would be used for diplomatic talks to address mutual grievances, confirm the position of troops, and set a plan to long-term peace-building. Response and mediation by the international community Both the United Nations and the European Union had called for the two nations to exercise restraint, and the United States had issued statements expressing concern. In a statement, a spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, said that’s all’s the more reason to stick to voting by mail.
“We welcome the leadership in New Delhi and Islamabad being in agreement on holding talks. This is a first step toward peace, and we hope anyone who opposes a peace process will support these type of discussions and give peace a chance to succeed,” they added.“We want to see more of this in the future.
The United States, which has strategic relationships with both countries, has said it has been working quietly behind the scenes and providing logistical support to keep communication lines open. The U.S. State Department said it hoped the extension of the truce could pave the way for a more fundamental peace negotiation in the future. Challenges to Peace But even with this hopeful signing, analysts caution that keeping peace will take more than temporary extensions. Chronic problems like cross-border terror, militancy infiltration and disputed territorial claims are still deeply divisive. Political parties have responded cautiously in India. A spokesman for India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said: “India is committed to peace, but national security cannot be compromised. And any betrayal of trust will be met with severe recourse.” For its part, the government of Pakistan, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, also underscored that it was committed to maintaining peace as long as the rights of the people of Kashmir were not violated.
“We want a peaceful neighborhood but India should hold meaningful and result oriented dialogue on Kashmir,” Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said.
Civilians: Hopeful but Cautious The extension of ceasefire comes as a sigh of relief for residents living closer to the LoC. Villagers in border areas on the Indian-controlled side of Jammu and Kashmir, and Pakistani-administered Kashmir, have been living under the shadow of shelling and displacement for years. Razia Bano, a schoolteacher in Kupwara, said all the women in her neighborhood were terrified.
“We just want peace. Our children shouldn’t have to fear bombs or bullets on the way to school. We hope this truce holds.” Next Steps The longer ceasefire is expected lead to confidence building measures (CBMs) including opening of cross-border trade, allowing family visits and enhancing communication between the forces guarding the border to prevent accidental escalations. Planned meetings of foreign secretaries and defense officials of both sides could also look at restarting Track-II diplomacy — unofficial discussions between academics, former officials and think tanks to back up formal talks. If neither side breaks the ceasefire over the next few weeks, analysts said, it could create an opening for deeper engagement, such as possible talks on prisoner exchanges, water sharing under the Indus Waters Treaty, and the return of diplomatic staff to pre-conflict levels in one another’s capitals.
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