Japan Press Weekly

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2025 May 14 - 20 [WORLD]

India, Pakistan required to solidify ceasefire and find peaceful solutions

Akahata editorial (excerpts)

India and Pakistan announced on May 10 that they agreed to a ceasefire amid fears of an escalation of their military clashes: The Indian armed forces launched a military operation against Pakistan on May 7 in retaliation to a terrorist attack, and Pakistan’s military began counterattacks against India the following day. Both sides are required to implement an immediate ceasefire and seek a peaceful resolution of the decades-long conflict.

The flare-up between the two countries is particularly worrisome because they both are nuclear-armed states. It is said that India possesses 172 nuclear weapons and Pakistan 170. The situation became tense when it was reported that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would call a meeting of the National Command Authority, the highest decision-making body pertaining to the country’s nuclear weapons. If a nuclear war broke out, it would cause a catastrophe not only to the two countries but also to the whole world. Any hint of the use of nuclear weapons is, of course, absolutely unacceptable.

The fighting between the two countries this time was triggered by the deadly terrorist attack on 26 tourists that occurred in April in Indian-administered Kashmir.

India and Pakistan have a complicated history of repeated military conflicts over the control of Kashmir. They were both British colonies. After WWII, in August 1947, they became independent, separating into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan. Kashmir was a predominantly Muslim region, but the king of Kashmir was a Hindu. In October of 1947, clashes erupted between the Indian and Pakistani forces over the control of Kashmir. Terror attacks and armed clashes have since repeatedly taken place over control of the Kashmir region. India and Pakistan conducted nuclear tests and became nuclear-weapon states.

Despite the ceasefire agreement, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India only “paused” its retaliatory actions against Pakistan’s terrorist and military targets. The danger of resumption of hostilities continues. The two countries should make diplomatic efforts to normalize bilateral relations in a cool-headed manner.

Past related article:
> Yamazoe calls for restraint on both India and Pakistan [May 9, 2025]