No expiry date on truce with Pakistan, says Indian Army
NEW DELHI: The understanding between India and Pakistan to cease military hostilities is open-ended and does not have 'an expiry date', the Indian Army said on Sunday, rejecting reports from Islamabad that the truce was recently extended to May 18.
'As far as continuation of break in hostilities is concerned, as decided in DGMOs (directors general of military operations) interaction of May 12, there is no expiry date to it,' the army said in a brief statement. To be sure, India has laid down a marker that the fate of the May 10 ceasefire hinges on Pakistan's behaviour.
It ended the four-day military confrontation that stoked fears of a full-blown shooting war. The army clarified that no DGMO-level talks are planned on Sunday.
On May 15, the Indian Army said it will push 'confidence building measures' (CBMs) along the border with Pakistan 'to reduce the alertness level' there, hours after Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar said that the May 10 ceasefire had been extended till May 18.
Operation Sindoor, which began in the early hours of May 7, was New Delhi's response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people.
The understanding between India and Pakistan to cease military hostilities was announced on May 10 evening, after Indian DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai and his Pakistani counterpart Major General Kashif Abdullah talked over the hotline and agreed to stop all military actions against each other --- on land, in the air and sea.
The two DGMOs spoke again on May 12 to uphold the uneasy truce.
The CBMs discussions then included continuing the May 10 commitment that both sides 'must not fire a single shot' or initiate any aggressive action against each other and consider troop reduction in forward areas.
On May 16, defence minister Rajnath Singh warned Islamabad that it was currently 'on probation' under the May 10 understanding. 'If the behaviour improves, it is fine; but if there is any disturbance, harshest punishment will be given,' he said at the Bhuj airbase. 'Our actions were just a trailer, we will show the full picture, if need be. Attacking and eliminating terrorism is the new normal of new India,' he said.
Indian forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, bombing nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The pre-dawn strikes --- in which at least 100 terrorists were killed --- sparked a series of attacks and counterattacks across the western border, involving fighter jets, missiles, armed drones, and fierce artillery and rocket duels.
In one such counterattack on the night of May 9-10, the Indian Air Force struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations.
On May 15, the Indian Army said it will push CBMs along the border with Pakistan 'to reduce the alertness level' there, hours after Pakistan's foreign minister Ishaq Dar said that the ceasefire between the Indian and Pakistani armies was extended till May 18.
Neither side has fired a single shot since May 10, a key condition for the ceasefire, though Pakistan has attempted to violate the truce with some drones sighted over Indian cities on May 10 night and May 12 night.
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