New Delhi /Islamabad, May 16 – Pakistan said on Thursday that a ceasefire agreement with India along the contested Line of Control (LoC) has been extended until Sunday, although New Delhi has yet to confirm the extension. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told reporters that the country’s army had agreed to prolong the ceasefire following a phone conversation earlier in the day between the director-generals of military operations (DGMOs) from both sides.
The agreement to halt cross-border hostilities was first reached on May 10, when Indian DGMO Lt General Rajiv Ghai and his Pakistani counterpart Major General Kashif Abdullah committed to strengthening confidence-building measures (CBMs) aimed at de-escalating tensions along the heavily militarized frontier.
“There is an understanding not to initiate any aggressive or hostile actions,” an Indian military official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity as the matter remains sensitive.
India, however, has not officially acknowledged the reported extension. The Indian Army reiterated that Operation Sindoor, a large-scale deployment initiated after the recent Pahalgam massacre, remains paused but not terminated. Forces remain on high operational alert, officials said.
Following the Pahalgam attack, Pakistan moved several reserve army units, including tanks and Chinese-supplied SH-15 155mm self-propelled howitzers, closer to the LoC and international border. In response, India executed “mirror deployments” of its own troops and heavy equipment.
The two sides have also reportedly discussed reducing troop presence in forward areas and other de-escalatory steps, according to officials familiar with the talks.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since independence in 1947, two of them over the disputed Kashmir region. Cross-border shelling and skirmishes have periodically flared up along the LoC, though a ceasefire understanding has largely held since February 2021.
