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Arab News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Indian army says talks with Pakistan's military operations chief delayed
ISLAMABAD: India and Pakistan have delayed until Monday evening talks between their military operations chiefs to discuss the next steps after a ceasefire, the Indian army said, as New Delhi reopened airports and shares rose in the nuclear-armed rivals. A fragile 48-hour-old truce appeared to be holding on Monday after both sides blamed the other for initial violations on Saturday night, hours after the US-brokered deal was first announced. There were no reports of explosions or projectiles overnight, after some initial ceasefire violations, with the Indian Army saying Sunday was the first peaceful night in recent days along their de facto Line of Control border. Saturday's ceasefire followed four days of intense fighting with drones and missiles and gun fire exchanges across the Line of Control that divides the disputed Kashmir valley into parts administered by India and Pakistan. Dozens were reported killed. The Indian army said on Monday both sides' director generals of military operations would speak by telephone in the evening, a delay from an initial timing of noon (0630 GMT), but gave no reason. 'In spite of some minor damage, all our military bases and systems continue to remain fully operational,' India's director general of air operations, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, told a media briefing. A day earlier, Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai, the director general of military operations, said India's armed forces struck nine militant infrastructure and training facilities, including sites of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group that India blames for carrying out major militant strikes in India and the disputed region of Kashmir. At a televised news conference on Sunday, Pakistan military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry said Pakistan's armed forces targeted a total of 26 Indian military installations in response to India's missile strikes which were launched before dawn Wednesday. He said the military had vowed it would respond to the Indian aggression, and it has fulfilled its commitment to the nation. Sharif warned that any threat to Pakistan's sovereignty or territorial integrity would be met with a 'comprehensive, retributive, and decisive' response. He said Pakistan exercised 'maximum restraint' during the counterstrike, employing medium-range missiles and other munitions, and that no civilian areas were targeted inside India. MARKETS INCH UP Pakistan halted trading on Monday for an hour after its benchmark share index rose nearly 9 percent, having recovered most of its losses in the past three sessions after India's first strikes last Wednesday. Late on Friday, the International Monetary Fund approved a fresh $1.4-billion loan to Pakistan under its climate resilience fund and approved the first review of its $7 billion program. Pakistan's benchmark share index closed up 9.4 percent on Monday, while India's blue-chip Nifty 50 index closed 3.8 percent higher in its best session since February 2021. Before the ceasefire took hold on Saturday, the arch rivals had targeted each other's military installations with missiles and drones, as relations turned sour after India blamed Pakistan for a militant attack that killed 26 tourists on Apr. 22. Pakistan denies the accusations and has called for a neutral investigation. Saturday's truce was first announced by US President Donald Trump. US officials also said the two nations had agreed to hold talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site though no date has been announced yet. Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the two countries since independence from British colonial rule in 1947. Both countries claim the Muslim-majority region in full but govern only parts of it. They have fought two of their three wars since 1947 over the disputed territory. Islamabad has thanked Washington for facilitating Saturday's ceasefire and welcomed Trump's offer to mediate on the Kashmir dispute with India but New Delhi has not commented on US involvement in the truce or talks at a neutral site. - With inputs from Reuters
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
India and Pakistan ceasefire shaken by overnight clashes in Kashmir
India's military strikes into Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan earlier this week killed more than 100 militants – including their prominent leadership, India's director general of military operations said on Sunday. Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai said India's armed forces stuck nine militant infrastructure and training facilities, including sites of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group that India blames for carrying out major militant strikes in India and the disputed region of Kashmir. There was no way to independently verify these claims. 'We achieved total surprise,' Mr Ghai said at a news conference in New Delhi, adding Pakistan's response was 'erratic and rattled'. The two countries agreed to a truce a day earlier after talks to defuse the most serious military confrontation between them in decades. But the ceasefire was shaken just hours later by overnight fighting in disputed Kashmir, and both sides accused each other of repeatedly violating the deal. Drones were also spotted on Saturday night over Indian-controlled Kashmir and the western state of Gujarat, according to Indian officials. The escalation in violence began last week after a gun massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied any involvement. As part of the ceasefire, the nuclear-armed neighbours agreed to immediately stop all military action on land, in the air and at sea. People on both sides of the Line of Control, which divides the territory, reported heavy exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops. The fighting subsided by Sunday morning. In the Poonch area of Indian-controlled Kashmir, people said the intense shelling from the past few days had traumatised them. 'Most people ran as shells were being fired,' said college student Sosan Zehra, who returned home on Sunday. 'It was completely chaotic.' In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir's Neelum Valley, which is two miles from the Line of Control, residents said there were exchanges of fire and heavy shelling after the ceasefire began. 'We were happy about the announcement but, once again, the situation feels uncertain,' said Mohammad Zahid. US president Donald Trump was the first to post about the ceasefire deal, announcing it on his Truth Social platform. Indian and Pakistani officials confirmed the news shortly after. Pakistan has thanked the US, and especially Mr Trump, several times for facilitating the ceasefire. India has not said anything about Mr Trump or the US since the deal was announced. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on Sunday with top government and military officials. A UN spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said on Sunday that Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the deal as a positive step toward easing tensions. 'He hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries,' Mr Dujarric said. India and Pakistan's top military officials are scheduled to speak on Monday. India and Pakistan have fought daily since Wednesday along the rugged and mountainous Line of Control, which is marked by razor wire coils, watchtowers and bunkers that snake across foothills populated by villages, tangled bushes and forests. They have routinely blamed the other for starting the skirmishes, while insisting they themselves were only retaliating. Kashmir is split between the two countries and claimed by both in its entirety. They have fought two of their three wars over the region and their ties have been shaped by conflict, aggressive diplomacy and mutual suspicion, mostly due to their competing claims.
