Pak-India ceasefire extended till May 18: Ishaq Dar

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that a ceasefire between Pakistan and India has been extended till May 18 as the development came during a hotline contact between the Director General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of the two sides.

Expressing his views on Indian aggression against Pakistan in the Senate, the deputy prime minister said that during the first contact between the DGMOs after Operation Bunyanum Marsos on May 10, the ceasefire was agreed till May 12.

He said that in the second round of talks between Pakistan’s DGMO Major General Kashif Abdullah and his Indian counterpart Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai the ceasefire was extended to May 14, and now prolonged to May 18 in the latest hotline contact.

Ishaq Dar made it clear that Pakistan did not request a ceasefire during the recent escalation with India. He said the ceasefire took effect after Pakistan confirmed its readiness to stop military actions, with subsequent calls from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and China reinforcing diplomatic efforts.

The deputy prime minister said that Pakistan had exercised restraint and communicated this to all friendly nations even before the outbreak of hostilities.

“We told our friends we would not initiate an attack, but we would certainly respond if provoked. Pakistan’s response was measured, decisive, and in line with international norms,” he added.

Ishaq Dar said that the recent conflict began after the Pahalgam incident, for which India immediately blamed Pakistan, despite offering no concrete evidence—much like the earlier Pulwama incident.

“We offered a transparent and neutral investigation into the Pahalgam attack, but India refused,” said the deputy prime minister said and added that Pakistan ensured India’s narrative did not dominate the international discourse this time.

He said, on May 7, around 80 Indian aircraft violated Pakistani airspace, releasing 24 payloads that struck civilian areas, including mosques. Pakistan retaliated, downing five Indian jets, including Rafale and one UAV.

He said that Pakistan did not suffer damage to any of its aircrafts. He said that India attempted to stoke tensions among the Sikh community by bombing their areas and falsely blaming Pakistan.

Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan’s response included destroying 80 Indian drones, of which only one had inflicted injuries on Pakistani forces.

He added that Pakistan had evidence of India launching attacks on multiple Pakistani military bases and civilian infrastructure, but Pakistan refrained from targeting Indian civilian areas in return.

“We told the world we will not hide our response — and we didn’t,” he said, referencing the public release of videos showing Pakistan’s counter-attacks.