OPINION | What forced Pakistan to pause military action?-OxBig News Network

With guns, drones and missiles falling silent on the western India-Pakistan border, all eyes are now on the second DGMO-level talks that will take place on Monday evening. The 32 airports across northern and northwestern India that were closed on May 8 due to Indian and Pakistani air strikes, have been reopened on Monday. Srinagar, Chandigarh, Amritsar and all other airports in the northern region are now open for civilian flights. In Bombay Stock Exchange, the Sensex recorded a steep rise of 2,925 points, touching 82,430 mark. No night-time intrusions by Pakistani drones were reported on Sunday night all along the western border.

On Monday, the director general of air operations Air Marshal AK Bharti told media, “All our military bases and systems continue to remain fully operational and ready to undertake any future missions should the need arise”. He recited a couplet from Ramcharit Manas “विनय ना मानत जलध जड़ गए तीन दिन बीति। बोले राम सकोप तब भय बिनु होय ना प्रीति’..” (When the sea refused to listen to Lord Ram’s prayer to make way for the vaanar sena to march to Lanka, the Lord became furious and threatened to dry up the sea, saying there can be no love without striking fear in the enemy).

The Air Marshal clarified that India’s main fight was against terrorists, but it was Pakistan which jumped in and attacked India by sending drones, missiles and shells. “Pakistan’s continued hostilities left India with no choice but to retaliate”, he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address the nation on Monday night at 8 pm.

The question now on everybody’s mind is: why was India’s counter-offensive halted? Why were Pakistani targets not pummelled anymore? Why India agreed to an understanding with Pakistan to halt military operations? On May 9, when tit-for-tat attacks were going on, US Vice President JD Vance rang up Prime Minister Modi, who told the American leader that India would reply to bullets with shells (goli ka jawaab goley se diya jayega). The same night, Pakistan attacked 26 locations inside India by sending drones and missiles. India retaliated by attacking all key Pakistani air bases causing big damage. Pakistan’s air defence systems were smashed and Indian missiles reached Chaklala air base near Rawalpindi, where Pakistan’s nuclear power command centre is located. Indian armed forces were given instructions to give a befitting reply to Pakistan.

US intelligence told its President Donald Trump that there were alarming signals that Indian missiles were now targeting Pakistan’s nuclear installations and India has a plan to carry out massive attacks on Pakistan. Donald Trump was told that the Pakistani army chief has convened a meeting of Nuclear Command Authority and both India and Pakistan were going to engage in vicious attacks and counter-attacks during the weekend. Trump became active and he asked Vice President J D Vance to speak to both countries to stop the escalation. Trump indeed expressed apprehension about the use of nuclear weapon as he later said “It was time to stop the current aggression that could have led to the death and destruction of so many, and so much. Millions of good and innocent people could have died!”

 In order to bring Pakistan to a halt, Vance spoke to Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Gen Asim Munir. He then spoke to our NSA Ajit Doval. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stepped in. Rubio told India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar that Pakistan was ready to halt military operations and whether India was ready. Jaishankar told Rubio that the only way for firing to stop on the border was for the DGMOs of both countries to speak on the hotline. Pakistan DGMO’s first request came at 1 pm and our DGMO did not respond. At 3.35 pm, Pakistan DGMO rang up again and spoke to our DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai. It was decided that an understanding is hereby reached to stop firing and military operations. When this was conveyed to US President Donald Trump immediately announced it on social media X. Trump gave the impression that a ceasefire has come into effect and it was brokered by the US. But India preferred to name it as an “understanding on the DGMO level” only.

Meanwhile, Pakistan told the US that it wanted to initiate talks with India to solve the Kashmir issue. When this was conveyed to India, it was clearly conveyed from our side that there was nothing left to talk with Pakistan, and if Pakistan wanted to return Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, then India was willing to talk. It was also conveyed by India that if Pakistan was ready to hand over all wanted terrorists to India, we are ready to talk. There was no other issue left to discuss.

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