NEW DELHI, May 12: India and Pakistan have agreed to reduce their respective troops at the borders and that both sides will not engage in any aggressive action and no shots will be fired, said the Indian Army after the military operations chiefs of the two countries spoke on a hotline for the first time since the ceasefire.
Tensions between two arch-rivals soared after the Indian Armed Forces hit terror launchpads in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) last week in response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives. India has blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge denied by Islamabad.
“Issues related to continuing the commitment that both sides must not fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive and inimical action against each other were discussed. It was also agreed that both sides consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas,” said the Eastern Command, one of the six operational commands of the Indian Army, Central Public Relations Office (CPRO) said in a statement.
India’s DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai participated in this military-level discussion with Pakistan DGMO Major General Kashif Abdullah. Saturday’s ceasefire between the two nations, first announced by US President Donald Trump, followed four days of intense hostility that alarmed the world. The ceasefire agreement in the year 2021 to maintain peace and stability on the Line of Control was also signed by the DGMOs of India and Pakistan.
(Manas Dasgupta)