Attention is focused on the scheduled talks between the directors general of military operations (DGMOs) of India and Pakistan, set for 12 noon on May 12, as military tensions loom between the two sides along the border. Despite public declarations of a ceasefire by both nations on the evening of May 11, Pakistan violated the agreement within hours, launching drone and missile strikes on Indian territory.
India’s DGMO Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai and his Pakistani counterpart Major General Kashif Abdullah are expected to address key issues aimed at de-escalating the volatile situation. However, observers caution that the current lull is not a ceasefire but merely a “temporary pause in military activity”.
The Indian government, in a stern warning to Pakistan and change of rules of engagement, has made it clear that any future act of terror with its neighbour would be considered an “act of war” against India and responded to accordingly.
On the evening of May 11, the Indian Army issued a statement that in light of the post-ceasefire airspace violations on the night of May 10, Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi had reviewed the security situation with commanders along the country’s western front. “The COAS (chief of the army staff) has granted full authority to army commanders to take necessary kinetic actions in response to any violations of the understanding reached in the DGMO talks,” the army stated.
On the other hand, the Indian Air Force (IAF), in a post on social media platform X, stated that it had executed its assigned tasks under Operation Sindoor successfully, with precision and professionalism. The operations were conducted in a deliberate and discreet manner, aligned with national objectives. “Since the operations are ongoing, a detailed briefing will be conducted in due course. The IAF urges all to refrain from speculation and dissemination of unverified information,” the IAF post stated.
A senior IAF officer clarified that the operation includes “active monitoring, assessment and being in a sustained state of readiness”.
“Operation Sindoor is not over. It hasn’t concluded. We are in a new normal. Last night’s (May 10) drone incursions will be met with a response,” asserted a top government source.
In a late-night press briefing on May 10, foreign secretary Vikram Misri had confirmed repeated ceasefire violations by Pakistan over the past three hours despite an understanding being reached earlier that evening between the DGMOs of the two countries. “This is a serious breach of the understanding. The armed forces are responding adequately and appropriately,” Misri said, adding that the forces were maintaining heightened vigilance and had been directed to respond firmly to any further violations along the International Border and the Line of Control (LoC).
Earlier on May 10, US secretary of state Marco Rubio had reached out to Pakistan army chief Gen. Asim Munir. Subsequently, at 1535 IST, Pakistan’s DGMO contacted his Indian counterpart and agreed to a ceasefire effective from 1700 IST, covering land, air and maritime domains. Misri thereafter confirmed that US vice-president J.D. Vance and Rubio had been in close contact with both India and Pakistan over the previous 48 hours.
Following the ceasefire announcement, former Indian Army chief Gen. Manoj Naravane had welcomed the cessation of hostilities across land, sea and air, calling it a “most welcome development”. However, he warned: “We must keep up pressure on other fronts to reach a permanent and lasting solution. We cannot continue to respond to incidents in isolation while losing lives to terror strikes. This is strike three—no more chances.”
Gen. Ved Prakash Malik, who led the Indian Army during the 1999 Kargil War, expressed scepticism over the ceasefire. “History will ask what politico-strategic gains, if any, were achieved through India’s kinetic and non-kinetic response following the horrific Pakistani-sponsored terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22,” he posted on X.
The ministry of defence, in response to the ongoing situation, has directed private defence manufacturers to ramp up production of specialised munitions, particularly anti-drone systems and precision smart weaponry.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh, while inaugurating the BrahMos Aerospace Integration and Testing Facility in Lucknow on May 11, said that Operation Sindoor was not just a military action but a symbol of India’s political, social and strategic willpower against terrorism and the capability and determination of the armed forces, which ensured justice to the innocent families who lost their loved ones at the hands of anti-India and terrorist organisations on Indian soil. “It is proof that whenever India acts against terrorism, even the land across the border is not safe for terrorists and their masters,” Singh declared.
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