The History of Ceasefires in Jammu and Kashmir: A Chronicle of Conflict and Peace

From the Ceasefire Line to the Line of Control, Jammu and Kashmir’s working border is a scar of conflict and broken peace. Humaira Nabi offers a chronology of the ceasefires the border has witnessed since the cartographers drew it

After a period of uneasy peace, the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir erupted in violence, ending with a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10, 2025. The conflict involved drone strikes, missile attacks, and artillery fire, resulting in casualties and displacements.

The crisis began with a massacre at Pahalgam on April 22, leading to diplomatic tensions and retaliatory measures between India and Pakistan. The situation escalated into a violent confrontation, culminating in the US-brokered ceasefire.

The Karachi Agreement of 1949

The first war in 1947 over Jammu and Kashmir resulted in international intervention through the United Nations, leading to the Karachi Agreement in 1949. This agreement established the Ceasefire Line (CFL) dividing the region into Indian- and Pakistani-administered territories.

The 1965 Ceasefire

The 1965 conflict over Kashmir led to a ceasefire agreement after global pressure, with Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and President Ayub Khan signing the Tashkent Declaration in 1966.

The Shimla Agreement of 1972

The 1971 war between India and Pakistan led to the Shimla Agreement, which re-designated the Ceasefire Line as the Line of Control (LoC) and emphasized bilateral dialogue for dispute resolution.

The Kargil Ceasefire of 1999

The Kargil conflict in 1999 resulted in a ceasefire agreement after international pressure, with the guns falling silent on July 26, 1999.

The 2003 Ceasefire

Prime Minister Vajpayee and Pervez Musharraf agreed to a ceasefire in 2003, bringing a rare calm to the region after months of tension and military buildup.

The 2021 Reaffirmation

Recent tensions in Jammu and Kashmir led to the reaffirmation of the 2003 ceasefire in February 2021, promising a return to peace along the Line of Control.