Ceasefire Doesn't Have Expiry Date: Indian Army

SRINAGAR: The Indian Army on Sunday said that the ceasefire with Pakistan holds and there is no expiry date for the understanding reached between the Directors General of Military Operations (DGsMO) of the two countries on May 12 towards the cessation of active hostilities.

Reacting to reports appearing in a section of media that had suggested the ceasefire faced the key deadline of May 18 and that the truce might not last after it, a defence spokesman here said, “There is no expiry date to it”.

Elaborating, the Army, in a statement issued simultaneously in Srinagar, Jammu and Delhi, said, “Some media houses are reporting that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan is ending today. In addition, queries are also being received if DGMO level talk is scheduled today?"

Responding to these reports, the Army said, "No DGMO talks are scheduled today. As far as continuation of break in hostilities, as decided in DGsMO interaction of May 12 are concerned, there is no expiry date to it.”

The two countries’ military leadership had on May 12 agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” following days of military escalation that left dozens of civilians and security personnel dead and many more injured and a large number of residential houses and other properties destroyed or suffering damage in cross-border skirmishes.

India and Pakistan had in November 2003 agreed to cease fire along the 745-km LoC and the 198-km International Border (IB)- called ‘Working Boundary’ by Islamabad-in J&K. The agreement held for a few years, but regular violations started occurring in 2008 and the clashes between the two sides witnessed a sharp spike in 2012 and onwards, leaving hundreds of civilians and security personnel dead or wounded and a trail of destruction on both sides of the divide line. The two sides blamed each other for each violation of the ceasefire.

After a ‘hotline contact’ between India’s DGMO Lieutenant General Paramjit Sangha and his Pakistani counterparty Major General Nauman Zakaria on February 24-25, 2021, the two sides had agreed to address the issues that could undermine the peace and stability along the borders in a “free, frank and cordial” fashion.

The ceasefire understanding had largely held till the recent escalation. The cessation of active hostilities along the borders had brought significant relief to border residents. While, as a ceasefire dividend, the agricultural and trade activities had been going on smoothly, development works also gathered pace in the entire border belt. Educational institutions began working normally without any closures or disruptions due to cross-border shelling. Also, several border areas like Gurez, Bungus, Kaman Post and Tangdhar were opened to tourists, and these soon became popular destinations.

But the escalation sparked by the April 22 terror attack in Baisaran meadow near Kashmir’s premier resort Pahalgam in which 25 Hindu tourists and a local Muslim horse-handler were killed reignited tensions. The gory incident prompted India to launch ‘Operation Sindoor’ on May 7 to target “terrorist infrastructures” in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). This was followed by retaliatory actions from Pakistan as part of their “Operation Bunyan al-Marsoos (a wall salified with lead).”

While the active hostilities along the LoC and IB caused significant loss of life and property damage on both sides, claims and counterclaims produced conflicting casualty reports.

Besides about twenty civilians, Rajouri’s Additional District Magistrate Raj Kumar Thappa and seven personnel from the Army and Border Security Force (BSF) fell prey to the cross-border shelling between May 7 and 10. Also, two Indian Air Force (IAF) officials died in Pakistani drone attack at a base in Udhampur. One civilian death was reported from Punjab.

Pakistan reported 40 civilian deaths, attributing these to Indian strikes and shelling. It said that 11 of its soldiers were killed and 78 wounded in the Indian attacks during the escalation.