
India, Pakistan DGMO talks completed for today: Sources
#Operation Sindoor
The damage done at Pak bases as India strikes to avenge Pahalgam
Why Pakistan pleaded to end hostilities
Kashmir's Pahalgam sparks Karachi's nightmare
The DGMO-level talks between the two countries, which were initially slated to take place around noon on Monday, were later scheduled for the evening. The two countries reached an understanding on Saturday on the stoppage of firing and military action following a call made by the Pakistan DGMO to his Indian counterpart
Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai
.
Lt Gen Ghai, who interacted with the media at a joint press conference on Sunday, said his Pakistan counterpart proposed during an interaction on Saturday that "we cease hostilities".
"My communication with the Pak DGMO was conducted at 15:35 hrs yesterday (Saturday) and resulted in cessation of cross-border firing and air intrusions by either side with effect from 17:00 hrs, May 10, after he proposed that we cease hostilities. We also decided to further speak on May 12 at 12:00 hrs to discuss the modalities that would enable the longevity of this understanding," Lt Gen Ghai said.
"However, disappointingly, expectedly, it took only a couple of hours for the Pakistan Army to violate these arrangements by cross-border and across the Line of Control (LoC) firing, followed by drone intrusions last night and in the early hours of today (Sunday). These violations were responded to robustly," he added.
Live Events
Lt Gen Ghai said his counterpart was informed about the violations through a hotline message. India made its intent clear that it would respond to the same "fiercely" if repeated, for which the Chief of Army Staff has granted full authority to the Army Commanders.
India launched
Operation Sindoor
on May 7 and struck nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir in response to a ghastly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam last month in which 26 people were killed.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Anatomy of the budding India-China bonhomie
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi's just concluded visit to India and the agreement between the two sides on the India-China boundary question is an encouraging sign in mending the relationship between the two countries, which has been struggling to normalise since the border standoff in 2020. Wang Yi's visit to Delhi and the agreement outlining several measures to manage the contested border ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's planned trip to China for the annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit also reflect broader changes occurring in geopolitics. The India-China dynamics must also be read in conjunction with the engagement of the two countries with Russia. The three-way conversations involving Russia, India, and China are noteworthy as it is reflective of the broader regional geopolitical realignments in response to US policies towards them. In an ideal world, New Delhi would prefer to see Chinese power balanced by the US and/or Russia. (AFP) External affairs minister S Jaishankar is now in Russia. For both India and China (as also for Russia), the three-way conversations present an excellent opportunity to signal to Washington that there are possibilities of alternative global blocs and realignments outside of Washington's orbit and influence. What is perhaps more important and consequential are the underlying causes behind the current bonhomie between India and China. Beyond the optics, it is also evident that both India and China are eager to achieve a degree of normalcy in their relationship. The statement from the ministry of external affairs on the outcomes of Wang's India visit testifies to that. It is, therefore, possible to argue that there is a convergence between New Delhi and Beijing on the need to normalise bilateral relations. However, their respective definitions of normalcy are different. For China, normalcy means moving on from the current border impasse with India and focussing on the global balance of power. As Wang said, 'We (India and China) should never allow bilateral relations to be defined by the boundary question or specific differences to affect the overall picture of our bilateral ties.' Without normalcy with India, China knows that it will not be in a position to leverage Indian unhappiness with US President Donald Trump for its own larger geopolitical purposes. In other words, China seeks to exploit the current opportunity to challenge the US's global supremacy, and for that purpose, normalcy with India would be helpful. But the question is whether Beijing is willing to engage in sustained give-and-take negotiations with New Delhi to settle the border issue. For New Delhi, normalcy with China is centred on disengagement at the border so that it can focus on the larger geopolitical questions of India-China relations, India-China-Russia dynamics, and so on. For India, normalcy on the border and status quo ante bellum as of 2020 is key. China's global objectives behind the current warmth towards India should not be missed. Wang stated recently that 'as important members of the Global South, we have the responsibility to take the lead in opposing hegemonism and power politics'. There is little doubt that China would want to use India and Russia, and the Global South, to target the US-led world order. However, let's be clear. If Trump offers a G-2 with China, Beijing is likely to settle for it, sacrificing its secondary geopolitical equations. A similar logic extends to Russia as well. Moscow would vociferously promote the virtues of an alternative world order outside of the US orbit, but what it wants is to be recognised and treated by Washington and Europe as a great power and be accommodated within the European balance of power system, rather than being part of a China-led global order. As for India, it will continue to emphasise the importance of the Global South, multipolarity, and global alternatives, but New Delhi is not comfortable being part of a China-led, Russia-backed, non-American world order. If India is accommodated into a US-led world order as an important stakeholder, New Delhi is likely to accept that. In an ideal world, New Delhi would prefer to see Chinese power balanced by the US and/or Russia. However, since these options are not currently available, it is inclined to settle for underbalancing China, given its lack of capacity to balance Beijing on its own. In that sense, the three countries – India, China, and Russia – are hedging against geopolitical uncertainties and opting for their respective second-best options. This essential geopolitical dynamic should not be lost on our policymakers. In the meantime, and notwithstanding the deep mistrust between the two countries, India needs to engage with China for two key reasons. For India, conflict management with China is a key issue, as the fundamental contradictions in the relationship are unlikely to disappear soon. Therefore, it is essential to establish and strengthen confidence-building measures (CBMs) to manage Sino-Indian tensions. In that sense, the recent agreements are in the right direction. A no less important reason for India to engage with China on a sustained basis is that managing the relationship with Beijing — its rise as a global power and ambitions for superpower status, aggressive pursuit of its territorial ambitions, and attempts at unipolarity in Asia — is going to be India's most crucial task for the next several decades. From that perspective alone, New Delhi will need to engage productively with Beijing. Happymon Jacob is the founder and director of the Council for Strategic and Defense Research and the editor of INDIA'S WORLD magazine. The views expressed are personal


The Hindu
17 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Cotton farmers condemn removal of import duty, call it a disastrous setback
The Andhra Pradesh Tenant Farmers Association slammed the Union government's decision to remove the 11% import duty on cotton, calling it a 'severe blow' to India's cotton growers. In a press release on Wednesday (August 20), association State general secretary P. Jamalayya and president E. Katamayyah said the Union government scrapped the import duty on cotton, effective from August 19, and it will remain in force until September 30. The government claimed the decision was taken in the interest of the public and agricultural infrastructure development. Farmers' unions, however, dismissed this reasoning as 'false and misleading.' They feared that scrapping import duties would depress domestic cotton prices, allowing importers and traders to stockpile cheap foreign cotton and manipulate markets when the Indian harvest begins in October. 'This will directly hurt small and marginal tenant farmers, pushing them into deeper debt and triggering more farmer suicides,' they felt. They pointed out that the MSP announced for cotton this year is ₹7,710 a quintal, far below the ₹10,075 a quintal recommended under the C2+50% formula. In Andhra Pradesh alone, cotton is grown on nearly 15 lakh acres, meaning lakhs of agricultural families would be severely affected, they said and urged the Centre to restore import duties, guarantee MSP at C2+50%, and ensure that the Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) purchases cotton to protect domestic farmers.


Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
MEA reacts as Bangladesh Govt calls for action on banned ‘Awami League offices on Indian soil'
The Centre on Wednesday categorically rejected claims of political offices of the banned Bangladesh Awami League being run in India, saying the government does not allow any political activity against other countries from the Indian soil. HT Image 'The Government of India is not aware of any anti-Bangladesh activities by purported members of the Awami League in India or of any action that is contrary to Indian law. The Government does not allow political activities against other countries to be carried out from Indian soil,' the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Wednesday. The government also said that it expects free, fair and inclusive elections at the earliest in Bangladesh.