'The Pakistanis called the US state department and said we agree with India on peace.'
'It was then that US President Donald Trump jumped in and took credit for the ceasefire.'
While a number of Indians expected Operation Sindoor to continue till India took back Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the military operation was called off suddenly on the evening of May 10, 2025.
So how did the ceasefire between the Indian and Pakistan armies get activated? Did the Americans have a hand in the cessation of hostilities?
"India has much to lose had we gone to war with Pakistan," Nitin A Gokhale, the well-known national security expert, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.
What were the compulsions for India to agree to a ceasefire?
Whenever Pakistan attacks India, it makes Indians angry and they want full justice. But you have got to look at this from the government's point of view. Why did they authorise Operation Sindoor and what were the objectives?
There were three objectives: 1. Political; 2. Military; 3 Psychological.
The political objective was to go with the military objective. The military's aim was cutting off the head of the serpent so that the body capitulates.
So far we have only been treating the symptoms and not the cause. Brazenly, these terrorist organisations were being flaunted in the civilian areas of Pakistan protected by the Pakistani army.
This was happening in places like Muridke, Bahawalpur and others. These places were a no-no (for attacks from India) as there would be provocation from Pakistan and they would behave irrationally.
All these were red lines but this time we crossed that red line with Operation Sindoor.
Muridke and Bahawalpur are crown jewels for the Pakistan army and we hit them at those places. This was the military objective and that was to hit the terrorists at the heart of their military infrastructure.
We also hit Muzaffarabad in Pakistan occupied Kashmir from where they have been pushing terrorists into J&K for the last 30 years.
Is it true that we targeted only nine terrorist targets in Pakistan out of 21? So is Operation Sindoor mission incomplete?
This is speculation. These nine targets were carefully selected to have the maximum impact. And that impact was to flatten them, to strike terror in the hearts of the terror leadership, the Pakistani army and their intelligence agency, the ISI. Wherever you hide we can hit you.
On the political front we have kept the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance which will have a larger long-term impact and will be evident in the coming years.
The psychological objective was that you told the terrorist supporters that we can get you anywhere in Pakistan. This was the objective, and not to decimate the Pakistan army or break Pakistan in two.
For that you need much more preparation, a stronger economy and you got to prepare the people of India for all-out war.
If you go with the press release on the first day you will find that it was a targeted operation against terrorists, destroying the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.
Now people do not understand these nuances. They expect to break Pakistan into two or India to go and occupy Pakistan occupied Kashmir. Therefore, there is disappointment in (certain section of) the public.
India has much to lose had we gone to war with Pakistan. There would be inevitable losses and people will start crying. Why are people getting killed? Why are prices of essential commodities going up? Why are we facing losses?
It is easy to be emotional, but very hard to be rational.
And within 25 minutes of Operation Sindoor India achieved its objectives. Almost simultaneously India's director general military operations called Pakistan's DGMO on the night of May 7 and said India has hit terrorist targets in Pakistan and it is now up to you how to react. And if you hit us, we will hit you harder. This was the message given to Pakistan.
And Pakistan retaliated the very next day?
Yes, the attack came from Pakistan on the morning of May 8, which India neutralised without much damage except some drones got through.
They tried on May 9 (morning) too which too didn't go through.
The most successful military achievement this time was India's air defence.
Pakistan then brought in heavy artillery and missiles and at this point US Vice President J D Vance got into the act.
It was around 10.30 pm when Vance called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and said that the US had intelligence where they were sure Pakistan was going to do a massive strike on India.
He told PM Modi we would not like that to happen and if he would want to talk to Pakistan before the strike happens. The New York Times reported this.
PM Modi heard him and told Vance that if Pakistan hits India hard, India will hit them back doubly hard. In PM's words, 'Wahaan se goli aayegi, yahaan se gola jaayega.'.
Rediff too reported this news.
So, on May 10 morning, Pakistan launched its heaviest attack on India. They attacked the Adampur air base, the Halwara air base (in Punjab). One (Pakistani) missile was intercepted in Sirsa, Haryana.
The political leadership had given permission to the Indian Army that if Pakistan attacks, you attack harder immediately. Don't wait for any permission.
That is how India hit eight major air bases in Pakistan like Nur Khan, Rafiqi, Rahimyaar Khan etc. Their several runways were damaged.
Nur Khan is next to Pakistan's army command headquarters (in Rawalpindi). There is a nuclear command and control operations room at this place and not weapons.
That's when Pakistan army chief Asim Munir called US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Pakistanis called the Americans in panic. The Americans then told the Indians that Pakistan wants to de-escalate.
India responded stating the channel through which they (Pakistan should talk is India's DGMO.
At 12 noon on May 10, Pakistan's DGMO called India's DGMO who could not take the call. He (Pakistan's DGMO) was told to call back at 1530 hours.
He called at 1535 hours and said that he wants a ceasefire to which the Indian DGMO said there will be no ceasefire because the word 'ceasefire' has legal implications. You have got to fight a war to have a ceasefire. This was an operation and not a war.
They were told if you stop we will stop. The Pakistani DGMO said by 5 pm IST Pakistan will stop all firing, to which India said we will also stop firing.
At 6 pm, India was to address a press conference and announce this through Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri.
The Pakistanis called the US state department and said we have agreed with India on peace.
It was then that US President Donald Trump jumped in and took credit. Trump being Trump, he was half an hour away from the Indian press conference.
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