Norma­lity returns to the Sub­continent after Pakistan and India have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after days of deadly jet fighter, missile, drone and artillery attacks — news surprisingly announced by US President Donald Trump, who congratulated them on using “common sense”.

“The ceasefire is a positive step,” said Bilal Shabbir, an IT consultant in Muzaffarabad. “In war, it’s not just soldiers who die, it’s mostly civilians — and in this case, it would have been the people of Kashmir.”

Ehsan Malik, CEO of the Pakistan Business Council, said both Pakistan and India “need to lift their large populations on virtually every measure of socio-economic development. We are happy that a ceasefire will help both governments to focus on this priority”.

Shuja Nawaz, distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Centre, said the Indus Waters Treaty would figure prominently in the impending talks “after a decent interval, which allows both governments to claim credit for what they’ve achieved until now”.

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