The leadership of India and Pakistan acted wisely to reach a ceasefire agreement on May 10. Although a few violations have been reported, the maximum efforts should be made to hold on to this ceasefire and to initiate other efforts to further strengthen safety and peace in both countries. Earlier the fast-escalating South Asian crisis was causing increasing concern all over the world. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at the outset had appealed for maximum restraint.

There are several examples in history of two sides not wanting war yet not being able to stop the drift towards war as one escalation led to another. This chain of escalations must stop at an early stage if a fullblown war is to be prevented, and the leaders of India and Pakistan have done very well to reach a ceasefire agreement, overcoming many difficulties. All wars are dangerous and destructive, but experts all over the world agree that wars between two nuclear weapon countries can be the most destructive and end up in the kind of catastrophic destruction that none of the involved countries had ever wanted. Hence it was of the highest importance to end the conflict as early as possible.

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The more the two countries went up the escalation ladder, one escalation leading to the other, the more difficult and complicated it would have become to end the hostilities. The weapons available for a full........

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