A ceasefire between India and Pakistan appears to be holding, after both sides accused each other of initial violations, as an uneasy calm has taken hold following days of the worst eruption of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades.The Indian military sent a “hotline message” to Pakistan on Sunday about violations of an agreed-upon ceasefire, informing it of New Delhi’s intent to respond if this was repeated, a top Indian army officer said.
India’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) was speaking on Sunday as a fragile 24-hour-old ceasefire appeared to be holding after both sides blamed the other for initial violations on Saturday night.
The truce announced on Saturday halted several days of missiles and drones being fired at each country across their shared border, killing almost 70 people.
Diplomacy and pressure from the United States helped secure the ceasefire deal when it seemed that the conflict was spiralling towards a full-scale war. Within hours of its coming into force, there were explosions in Indian-administered Kashmir, the centre of much of last week’s fighting. Advertisement
Blasts from air-defence systems boomed in cities near the border under a blackout, similar to those heard during the previous two evenings, according to local authorities, residents and witnesses.
“Sometimes, these understandings take time to fructify, manifest on the ground,” Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, the Indian DGMO, told a media briefing, referring to the truce. “The [Indian] armed forces were on a very, very high alert [yesterday] and continue to be in that state.”
The Indian army chief had given a mandate to its commanders to deal with …