In a series of desperate overtures, Pakistan reached out to India twice seeking a cessation of hostilities, including a formal message from its Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) on the evening of May 7, those privy to the exchange told a certain section of the Indian media.
The offer for peace came just a day after Indian armed forces obliterated nine terror hubs under Operation Sindoor, in a decisive response to the deadly Pahalgam terror attack.
Yet, Pakistan continued to engage in renewed attacks on Indian military installations. There’s no room to lower the guard, senior Indian defence officials warned, highlighting the dissonance between Islamabad’s words and actions. Pakistan’s words will always be judged by concrete, verifiable, and irreversible actions against terrorists, they asserted.
The consequences of Operation Sindoor have been devastating for Pakistan. Intelligence sources estimate that over 160 individuals—a mix of terrorists, their local accomplices, and Pakistani military personnel—were eliminated in the cross-border precision strikes. The terrorist hotbed of Bahawalpur, a known Jaish-e-Mohammed stronghold, was particularly hard-hit, with over 20 fatalities, many of whom were relatives of JeM chief Masood Azhar.
Pakistani armed forces, too, suffered heavy casualties, with sources pegging the number of military personnel killed between 35 and 40, though Islamabad has officially acknowledged only 11 deaths and 78 injuries. Indian retaliatory strikes didn’t stop there. Artillery and missile strikes continued to pound terror bases in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and key Pakistani air bases, inflicting widespread damage and casualties.
Sialkot saw the highest toll, with 11 personnel killed. In Rawalpindi, four were killed in precision strikes. Lahore Airport was hit, resulting in 2 deaths, while Bahawalpur recorded 2 fatalities and 8 injuries. In Sargodha, 2 were killed and 7 injured, and Rahimyar Khan reported 5 injuries. The damage was both tactical and psychological—undermining confidence in Pakistan’s defensive capabilities.
Reports added that on May 10, after three more days of intense cross-border exchanges, the DGMOs of both nations spoke again at 3:35 PM, resulting in a mutually agreed ceasefire understanding. Notably, this was achieved through established military communication channels, without any mediation by the United States or other third parties. The effort was aimed at de-escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed adversaries.
The ceasefire proposal itself, as earlier stated by Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, was prompted when Pakistan’s DGMO requested talks with his Indian counterpart due to effective attacks by the Indian Air Force on Pakistani bases.
Also Read: U.S. Halts Student Visa Interviews Amid Proposed Social Media Vetting Expansion https://www.vibesofindia.com/u-s-halts-student-visa-interviews-amid-proposed-social-media-vetting-expansion/
