Pakistan’s Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Kashif Abdullah and his Indian counterpart Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai on Monday held the first round of talks via hotline after the recent ceasefire between the two countries in the wake of a military conflict.
Saturday’s ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump, followed four days of intense exchanges of fire as the nuclear-armed neighbours targeted each other’s military installations with missiles and drones, killing dozens of civilians.
Confirming the talks to Dawn.com, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the next round would take place in the next 48 hours. A ceasefire till then, he said, was “quite standard”.
State media outlets Radio Pakistan and PTV News confirmed the talks as well.
Reuters also reported that the Indian army confirmed that the DGMOs spoke by phone today.
“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,” the Indian army said.
“It was also agreed that both sides consider immediate measures to ensure troop reduction from the borders and forward areas,” it added.
The escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours began following the April 22 attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 people. India, without investigation or evidence, implied “cross-border linkages” of the attackers.
Pakistan firmly rejected the claim and called for a neutral probe. Following the allegations, India launched a series of strikes on Pakistan on the night of May 6 and 7, resulting in civilian casualties.
Hotline message
India’s military sent a “hotline” message to Pakistan on Sunday about alleged ceasefire violations the previous day, flagging New Delhi’s intent to respond to further such incidents, Reuters reported, citing a top Indian army officer.
However, the Foreign Office and the Pakistan military’s spokesperson rubbished the allegations.
“In spite of some minor damage, all our military bases and systems continue to remain fully operational,” India’s director general of air operations, Air Marshal AK Bharti, claimed in a media briefing today.
India also reopened 32 airports it had shut during the clashes, with the Airports Authority of India saying in a statement they were available for civil operations. Some schools remained closed.
Pakistan had reopened its airspace on Saturday.
Visitors were kept out of an airport in the border city of Amritsar shortly after the announcement, a Reuters witness said.
