Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 10: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have told his aides that India agreed to a ceasefire with Pakistan strictly on its own terms.
Both the nations made the major announcement on Saturday to make the ceasefire agreement effective from 5PM when the two neighbouring countries were staring at a war-like situation. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, on Saturday, announced that Pakistan had reached out to India following days of tensions and the two sides mutually worked on a ceasefire.
Sources said following “Operation Sindoor,” Pakistan’s National Security Advisor (NSA) and Air ISI chief Asim Malik sought to initiate communication with Indian NSA Ajit Doval.
Mr Modi made it clear to both NSA Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that any ceasefire would only proceed “on our terms.” Official sources have claimed that despite the ceasefire, India would not budge from its stand on the 1960 Indus Water Treaty (IWT) sharing water with Pakistan which India suspended in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, as well as abolishing some of the posts of military attaches in their respective high commissions.
For several days leading up to the announcement, Mr Doval and Mr Jaishankar were engaged in talks with their US counterparts over the ceasefire process. Throughout the negotiations, they kept Prime Minister Modi closely updated.
The ceasefire understanding was bilaterally worked out between India and Pakistan, without any third-party mediation. It was the Pakistani DGMO who initiated the call to India earlier in the day, which eventually led to the breakthrough.
According to the Foreign Secretary, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan contacted his Indian counterpart at 15:35 hours IST on Friday. During the conversation, both sides agreed to halt all firing and military activity — on land, in the air, and at sea — with effect from 17:00 hours IST. Orders to enforce the ceasefire have been issued on both sides. The two DGMOs are scheduled to speak again on May 12 at 12:00 hours IST to review the situation.
