India accepted ceasefire with Pakistan but only on its own terms

The decision came after Pakistan’s NSA and ISI air chief Asim Malik attempted to open backchannel dialogue with Indian NSA Ajit Doval.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, directed NSA Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to proceed only if the ceasefire aligned with India's terms, sources told India Today.

According to the Foreign Secretary, the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan reached out to his Indian counterpart at 15:35 IST on Friday.

India issued a stern warning, declaring that any future terror strike originating from Pakistan would be treated as an act of war, warranting a strong response.

The statement carried weight, as Pakistan had been carrying out drone and missile strikes on military facilities and civilian regions in northern India for the past three nights.

Most of these attacks were neutralised by India’s advanced air defence systems.

“... Over the past few days Pakistan suffered heavy and unsustainable losses, after its unprovoked attack on Indian installations. There has been extensive damage to crucial Pakistani air bases like Skardu, Sargodha, Jacobabad and Bholari,” Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said during a media briefing today.

“In addition, the loss of AD [air defence] weapon systems and radars made the defence of Pakistani airspace unsustainable. Across the Line of Control extensive and precise damage to military infrastructure and command control centres and logistic installations,” she added.

The two agreed to suspend all military action — on land, sea, and air — from 17:00 IST the same day.

Both sides have since issued orders to enforce the ceasefire, with another DGMO-level review scheduled for May 12 at 12:00 IST.

The breakthrough followed days of closed-door talks between Doval and Jaishankar with their US counterparts.

PM Modi was kept in the loop throughout the negotiations, reports said.

Crucially, the ceasefire understanding was directly brokered between India and Pakistan, without third-party mediation — and the first move came from Islamabad, with the Pakistani DGMO initiating the outreach.

The current standoff was triggered by a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, where Pakistan-linked terrorists killed 26 tourists.