<h1>Former army chief urges reciprocal goodwill, reduced forces and renewed talks to restore ties, trade and connectivity</h1> A former army chief welcomed recent steps by two countries to mend ties, noting political, diplomatic and military initiatives to restore engagement, reopen trade and resume connectivity. He described renewed talks on the boundary question as encouraging, calling it negotiable and urging reduction of deployed forces along the Line of Actual Control to remove an abnormality in bilateral interactions following deadly clashes in 2020. Citing historical ties and a 2005 agreement on guiding principles for boundary settlement, he expressed hope the renewed momentum will lead to reciprocal goodwill and progress toward resolving the long-standing boundary issue for regional stability.