Some details are clouded by contradictory statements and disinformation. But a pattern of rapid escalation brought the conflict to the brink of catastrophe.

Pakistan's army said on Tuesday that more than 50 people were killed in last week's military clashes with India which ended in a ceasefire agreed by the nuclear-armed neighbours, restoring peace to their border.

A tense silence settled over India and Pakistan as millions woke Thursday: no more missiles had been fired, schools in most areas had reopened and both sides appeared to be claiming victory.

The recent military engagement over Kashmir by South Asia’s arch enemies saw India deploy its French and US weapons against Pakistan’s new range of sophisticated Chinese arms. In its first battlefield test against Western arms,

India and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire mediated by the US, though each of the nuclear-armed powers soon accused the other of violating the truce.

The ceasefire had been expected to bring a swift end to weeks of escalating clashes triggered by the mass shooting of tourists last month that India blames on Pakistan.

The recent sparks of war between India and Pakistan, apart from the long-standing Kashmir issue, have brought renewed attention to Chinese weapons,