Indian Army Clarifies: Ceasefire with Pakistan Is Open-Ended

The Indian Army declared that the May 10 ceasefire between India and Pakistan has no "expiry date."

The Army said, according to The Times of India, "As far as continuation of the break in hostilities is concerned, as decided in the interaction between the DGMOs of May 12, there is no expiry date to it.

This clarification came after Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar's statement last week that Pakistan had verbally committed to extend the ceasefire with India only until Sunday, in a telephonic conversation between the two nations' directors general of military operations (DGMOs) on Thursday. The Indian Army's release stated that there is no necessity for renewal from time to time because the ceasefire was never meant to have a deadline.

The ceasefire was preceded by four days of intense fighting in which India attacked nine terrorist targets within Pakistan, as well as at least eight airbases, along with multiple air defence and radar facilities. India accepted Pakistan's appeal for a ceasefire on May 10, with the DGMOs meeting on May 12.

India has made it clear that Operation Sindoor, which was initiated in response to the Pahalgam attack, has not been called off but only put on hold. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Friday that Pakistan is now "on probation."

"If Pakistan's attitude becomes better, it is okay. But if there is any kind of trouble, harshest punishment will be given," Singh said.

Both countries are working on building confidence measures to de-escalate tensions. Pakistan's deployment of hundreds of drones, missiles, and warplanes had raised tensions to decades-high levels. India, however, held military superiority, persisting with attacks on Pakistan, ultimately forcing Pakistan to call for a ceasefire.

In a major build-up that appeared orchestrated, Pakistan advanced ground forces and heavy artillery towards forward positions in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. The Times of India had said Pakistan shifted several reserve army brigades, tanks, and Chinese-made SH-15 self-propelled 155mm howitzers closer to the Line of Control (LoC) and the International Border (IB), leading India to retaliate with equal 'mirror deployments' of its forces.