ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Ishaq Dar on Thursday confirmed that the US-brokered ceasefire between nuclear powers Pakistan and India had been extended until May 18.
Addressing the Senate, Dar, who also holds the foreign affairs portfolio, said that the development came during a hotline contact between the director general of military operations (DGMO) of the two sides on May 14.
After the US brokered a ceasefire between the nuclear-armed countries, Pakistan’s Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Major General Kashif Abdullah and his Indian counterpart Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai held the first round of talks via hotline on May 10.
“During the DGMOs’ conversation, the ceasefire was extended until May 12. When the DGMOs spoke again on May 12, the ceasefire was extended until May 14. Further talks on May 14 led to the ceasefire being extended until May 18,” the DPM told the upper house.
In a bid to clear the confusion surrounding the recent US-brokered ceasefire between arch-rival nuclear powers Pakistan and India, DPM Dar said that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on the evening of May 10, told him that New Delhi was ready for a ceasefire.
Addressing the Senate, Dar, who also holds the foreign affairs portfolio, said: “On May 10 at around 10:15am, I received a phone call from the US secretary of state, who informed me that India is ready to agree to a ceasefire.”
“At that time our phase-I operation was nearing completion,” the DPM said, adding that he told the top US diplomat that if New Delhi was ready to ceasefire then Pakistan was also ready to do so.
During the telephonic conversation, the minister said he made it clear that the war was not initiated by Islamabad. Dar further told the House that the top US diplomat told him that he would inform the Indian External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar, about the development.
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