Islamabad says India-Pakistan ceasefire extended till May 18: Report
The ceasefire understanding between India and Pakistan has been extended till Sunday, May 18, as the truce continued to remain intact following four days of intense cross-border conflict, citing a top official in Islamabad.
The Indian Army on Thursday had said it will push “confidence building measures” along the border with Pakistan “to reduce the alertness level” there.’
The statement came hours after Pakistani foreign minister Ishaq Dar said in a speech in his Parliament that Islamabad would not violate the ceasefire, which ultimately will lead “to a dialogue and it will be a composite dialogue”.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also on Thursday expressed readiness for “peace” talks with India. During his visit to the Kamra air base in Pakistan’s Punjab province, Sharif said, “we are ready to talk with it (India) for peace”, adding that “conditions” for peace included the Kashmir issue as well.
On Monday, citing people familiar with the matter, that India will engage with Pakistan only at the level of the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) and there will be no talks on issues such as Kashmir and the Indus Waters Treaty, which still remains in abeyance.
India had also made it clear that the ceasefire understanding reached with Pakistan on May 10 did not mean that its series of diplomatic measures against Islamabad would get nullified.
New Delhi’s string of punitive actions against Islamabad, including suspension of Indus Waters Treaty, cancellation of visas issued to Pakistani nations, came on April 23, just a day after terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists, in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
In response to the deadly terror attack, the Indian armed forces on May 7 launched ‘Operation Sindoor’, carrying out precision strikes on nine terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
After this began firing and offensive from the Pakistani side across the Line of Control and over border regions in J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan and even Gujarat’s Kutch. India retaliated and responded with counter measures, taking down enemy drones and unarmed vehicles.
Following the four-day fighting, a ceasefire was reached between the two nuclear-armed neighbours on May 10, after Pakistani DGMO reached out to Indian DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai over the hotline. The two DGsMO spoke again on May 12 and reaffirmed the maintenance of the truce, stating that not even a single shot must be fired from either sides.
