Indian forces remain operationally deployed amid 'pause' on Op Sindoor

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security, the first since the 'pause' in Operation Sindoor

All three branches of the Indian armed forces remained operationally deployed along the western border with Pakistan on Wednesday, said defence sources privy to the matter, even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the first meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) since the pause in Operation Sindoor on Saturday evening. The meeting discussed the security situation.

 

The Prime Minister was joined by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah at the meeting, where they also discussed India’s preparedness.

 

Even as the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday was the first in days without a Pakistani aerial intrusion using drones, sources from the Indian Army, Indian Air Force (IAF), and Indian Navy underscored that while the four-day-old understanding between the two militaries-- to “stop all firing and military action on land, in the air and sea” from 5 pm on Saturday-- had held despite initial Pakistani violations, Indian forces remained alert and ready to undertake any further missions, if required.

 

“Operations include active monitoring, assessment, and state of readiness,” another defence source had explained earlier.   

 

The Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan had called India’s DGMO, Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, on Saturday afternoon, following which both sides agreed to stop all firing and military action with effect from 5:00pm Indian Standard Time that day.

 

The subsequent DGMO-level talks, originally scheduled for 12:00pm on Monday, were held at 5:00pm instead.

 

According to the Army, the talks focused on continuing the commitment that neither side would fire a single shot or initiate any aggressive or inimical action. It was also agreed that both sides would consider immediate steps to reduce troop presence along the borders and forward areas.

 

Stating that Operation Sindoor had set a new benchmark and was the “new normal,” Prime Minister Modi on Monday evening underlined that the operation had only been paused.