New Delhi:
The ceasefire with Pakistan is a conditional one and there is no change in India’s position on the diplomatic measures against the neighbouring country, including the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty, sources have said.
The move to negotiate a ceasefire, the sources emphasised, was initiated by Pakistan and pointed to a statement by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who underscored that India has an uncompromising stance against terrorism, which will not change.
The Ministry of Defence, in a press conference after the ceasefire, also emphasised that India had not only fended off three big waves of missile and drone attacks by Pakistan but also caused extensive damage to its air defence systems, making defending its airspace unsustainable.
Every Pakistani misadventure, the ministry stressed, has been met with strength and any escalation in the future will also invite a decisive response.
The first announcement of the ceasefire between India and Pakistan – after four days of hostilities – came from US President Donald Trump at 5.35 pm on Saturday. Mr Trump claimed that the cessation of hostilities followed a “long night of talks” mediated by the United States.
Soon after that, however, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said at a press briefing that the Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan had called his Indian counterpart at 3.35 pm and the ceasefire had been agreed upon.
“The Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan called the Director General of Military Operations of India at 1535 hours IST earlier today.. It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from 1700 hours Indian Standard Time today,” Mr Misri said, adding that instructions have been given on both sides to give effect to the understanding.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also said that military action has ceased, but underlined that India’s uncompromising stance against terrorism would not change.
“India and Pakistan have today worked out an understanding on stoppage of firing and military action. India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so,” he wrote on X.
Indus Action
In the days after the terror attack in Pahalgam in which 26 people were killed, India had announced a series of diplomatic actions against Pakistan, one of the most significant of which was the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
The over-six-decade-old pact laid out terms for the sharing of water from rivers of the Indus system. Water from the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi, amounting to around 33 million acre feet (MAF) annually, was allocated to India for unrestricted use and the waters of the western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab – amounting to around 135 MAF annually had been assigned largely to Pakistan.
India put a stop to this and also began increasing reservoir storage capacities at two hydroelectric projects in Kashmir, reducing the flow of water to Pakistan. The Centre is also expected to accelerate construction of six stalled projects in the region.
The suspension of the treaty, which rattled Pakistan and prompted it to call the action an “act of war”, will continue, sources said on Saturday, underlining that the ceasefire was limited to the military aspect.
Even on Thursday, India had highlighted Pakistan’s utter disregard of the treaty.
“If you see, the preamble of the treaty itself states that the treaty was concluded in a spirit of goodwill and friendship. Mark those words: concluded in a spirit of goodwill and friendship. It is India’s patience and tolerance that, despite 65 years of attacks and provocations, we have been adhering to the treaty,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had said.
Air Defences Hit
After India struck terror bases at nine locations in Pakistan on Wednesday, including the headquarters of terrorist outfits Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed – involved in several attacks in India, including Pahalgam and 26/11 – Muridke and Bahawalpur in Pakistan’s Punjab, Pakistan began a wave of drone and missile attacks on military and civilian locations, that was repeated for two more nights.
India fended off these attacks and hit back, taking out at least one key air defence system in Lahore after the first wave and then carried out Pakistan military targets at Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur and Chunia. Radar sites at Pasrur and Sialkot aviation base were also targeted.
After the announcement of the ceasefire, the Ministry of Defence held a press conference in which Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said, “There has been extensive damage to the crucial Pakistani airbases like Skardu, Sargodha, Jacobabad and Bholari. In addition, a loss of Air Defence weapon systems and radars made the defence of Pakistani airspace unsustainable. Across the line of control, extensive and precise damage (has been inflicted) on military infrastructure and command control centres.”
Commodore Raghu R Nair said, “Every misadventure by Pakistan has been met with strength and every future escalation will invite a decisive response. We remain fully operationally ready to launch whatever operations may be required in defence of the nation.”
The sources also pointed out that the Pakistan Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) had called his Indian counterpart, after which the ceasefire was agreed upon.
“Additionally, the US has formally acknowledged India’s revised war doctrine, under which any future terrorist attack will be treated as an act of war,” a source said.
