KARACHI — After a tense week of cross-border clashes between India and Pakistan, residents of Karachi on Sunday welcomed the relative calm and urged both governments to prioritize diplomacy over conflict.
“Last evening’s ceasefire was a good initiative for both sides — Pakistan and India — because innocent people live in both countries,” said Muhammad Sajjid, a local resident. “I believe we should continue to be peace-loving.”
Sajjid’s sentiments echoed widely across the city, where many expressed relief following the halt in hostilities, but also frustration over the recurring pattern of escalation and fragile truces between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
“India keeps violating it every time,” said another Karachi resident, Irfan Usman, referring to the ceasefire agreement. “War is not the solution to any problem. We want peace. We want peace. We want peace.”
The latest ceasefire, brokered with behind-the-scenes pressure from the United States, came after the most intense fighting between the two countries in nearly three decades. But within hours of the agreement, fresh explosions were reported in several towns along the contested border, undermining hopes of a lasting truce.
The recent escalation, triggered by a deadly attack in India-administered Kashmir, sparked fears of a wider regional conflict. Both sides exchanged drone strikes, artillery fire, and missile attacks, with civilian casualties reported in multiple areas.
Pakistan and India have fought three wars since their partition in 1947, two of them over the disputed region of Kashmir. Though the countries maintain formal diplomatic ties, the relationship remains fraught with mistrust, and repeated peace efforts have often collapsed under the weight of nationalist politics and cross-border violence.
Despite the volatility, ordinary Pakistanis like Sajjid and Usman say the costs of war are too high and peace must remain the goal.
“Pakistan is a country that values peace deeply,” said Sajjid. “We do not attack civilians, but we reserve the right to defend ourselves if provoked.”
As border towns begin to assess the damage, many citizens in both countries are calling not only for an end to this round of fighting, but for a serious and sustained political process to address the long-standing disputes at the heart of the conflict.
