Pakistan foreign ministry says ‘committed, faithful’ to holding ceasefire with India
The Indian Army had recently said that the ceasefire understanding with Pakistan was open-ended and did not have ‘an expiry date’.
Pakistan's foreign ministry on Friday said the ceasefire understanding with India continues to remain intact, asserting that Islamabad is committed and faithful to holding the agreement with New Delhi, Reuters reported.
India and Pakistan had agreed on the cessation of all military actions against each other on land, air, and sea on May 10 after four days of intense cross-border fighting following Operation Sindoor.
The understanding was reached after Pakistan's director general of military operations (DGMO) Major General Kashif Abdullah reached out to his Indian counterpart, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, for a ceasefire.
Pakistan's statement comes just days after the Indian Army said that the understanding to cease military hostilities is open-ended and does not have "an expiry date" at the moment, HT reported. With this, India rejected reports from Pakistan that the truce was extended to May 18.
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“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.
On May 15, the Indian Army said that it will push "confidence-building measures" (CBMs) along the border with Pakistan "to reduce the alertness level" there.
Last week, Indian defence minister Rajnath Singh warned Islamabad, saying that it was currently "on probation" under the May 10 understanding. He said, "If the behaviour improves, it is fine; but if there is any disturbance, harshest punishment will be given."
Operation Sindoor, Indo-Pak conflict
The Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, carrying out precision strikes on nine terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). These terror camps were linked to outfits such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Hizbul Mujahideen, and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
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In this operation, which was launched as a response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 people, more than 100 terrorists were killed.
Following Operation Sindoor, Pakistan attempted to launch a military retaliation against India, resorting to cross-border shelling in Jammu and Kashmir, and use of drones, unarmed aerial vehicles, over the valley and border regions in India.
However, India's air defence systems and the armed forces thwarted these attack attempts by Pakistan. After four days, the two nuclear-armed neighbours agreed to stop all military actions against each other.
Soon after, India clarified that the cessation of military hostilities does not imply the revocation of the punitive measures imposed against Pakistan, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
