The phone that holds the key to India-Pak truce

The two phones are manned by duty officers of the directorates of military operations of the two armies; 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

In a modest chamber with a high ceiling, inside one of the most secure offices in India, in a white- walled room on first floor of the imposing South Block, a phone sits atop a table.

The duty room in South Block, which houses the phone, also holds data rich maps of Pakistan and areas along the LoC. (Vipin Kumar/HT)

It is always manned, sometimes by a major, and at other times by a lieutenant colonel, top officials told HT on Tuesday.

No one else accesses the phone.

The moment he picks up the receiver, another phone rings 700 km away in the Pakistan