New Delhi: The National Security Advisors (NSAs) of India and Pakistan are said to have had a telephonic conversation soon after Operation Sindoor on Wednesday. During this military operation, India destroyed nine terror installations inside Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) through high-precision missile strikes.
While there was no confirmation from India about this conversation, Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar said in a television interview in his country that Lt Gen Asim Malik, NSA, Pakistan, called up Indian NSA Ajit Doval after the attack. Dar did not go into further details.
While the Pakistani leadership continues to speak of retaliatory strikes, some believe that the telephonic conversation between the two NSAs may help in easing tensions between the two countries to a certain extent, despite the fact that Pakistan continued to shell Indian territory along the Line of Control (LOC) on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.
India has confirmed that 15 innocent civilians have lost their lives in this shelling. An Indian Army jawan has also sacrificed his life to this unwarranted act of violence. The Army reported artillery and small arms fire from the Kupwara, Baramulla, Uri and Akhnoor sectors. India has responded proportionately.
“Through Operation Sindoor, India has displayed her stance against terror. This was not an attack against Pakistan, but on terror establishments in that country and PoJK. The ball is now in Pakistan’s court. If it wishes to de-escalate the situation, India will welcome the move. But, as Doval had made it clear, India is ready to retaliate to any form of attack,” an official said.
India and Pakistan are engaged in a diplomatic and military stand-off since the massacre of 26 persons, mostly tourists from across the country, by terrorists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22.
After investigations revealed that the terror attack was masterminded in Pakistan and at least two of the terrorists involved were Pakistanis, India selected targets in that country and then carried out Operation Sindoor.
