INDIA: PAKISTAN-Ceasefire Holding, FM Spox Warns Agains Resumptio Of Hostilities

Reuters reporting comments from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry, spox says that the Directors General of Operations of India and Pakistan have had periodic contact since the 10 May ceasefire was declared, with discussions on a "mechanism for phases of de-escalation" taking place. Spox says "Pakistan remains committed to the ceasefire and taking necessary steps towards de-escalation," and that Pakistan "calls on its international partners to ensure India remains committed to de-escalation". Spox: "Should India resume hostilities, Pakistan will have no choice but to respond."

• While the ceasefire in place for nearly a week has held so far, tensions along the border remain extremely high and it would likely only take a small incident - either deliberate of via miscalculation - to result in a resumption in open hostilities.
• Earlier, Reuters reported that "India is considering plans to dramatically increase the water it draws from a major river that feeds Pakistani farms downstream, as part of retaliatory action for a deadly April attack on tourists that New Delhi blames on Islamabad...About 80% of Pakistani farms depend on the Indus system, as do nearly all hydropower projects serving the country of some 250 million." Given this major Pakistani reliance on water from the Indus system, a long-term reduction in flows could inflame tensions over the coming years.