India-Pakistan row: Army confirms no DGMO-level talks today, says 'no expiry date' of ceasefire

NEW DELHI: The Indian Army on Sunday clarified that there were no talks scheduled between the directors general of military operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan. It also said that the decision to stop hostilities, made during the DGMOs' interaction on May 12, does not have an end date. The clarification came after some media reports suggested that the ceasefire agreement between the two countries would end on May 18. "No DGMO talks are scheduled today. As far as the continuation of a break in hostilities as decided in the DGMOs interaction of 12th May is concerned, there is no expiry date to it," an Indian Army official was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI. On May 12, the DGMOs of India and Pakistan had a discussion on continuing the commitment from both sides not to open fire or take any aggressive action. Both sides also agreed to take immediate steps to reduce troops along the borders and forward areas. The DGMO-level talks, which were first expected to happen around noon on May 12, were later held in the evening. The agreement to stop firing and military action came after Pakistan’s DGMO called India’s DGMO, Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, on May 10. Lt Gen Ghai, speaking at a joint press conference on Sunday, May 11, said that his counterpart from Pakistan had suggested during their conversation on Saturday that "we cease hostilities". India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terror-related sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir. This was in response to a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam last month, in which 26 people lost their lives.