Who asked for ceasefire? Pakistan struggles to rubbish world media reports that said its DGMO made the first call

As the ceasefire between India and Pakistan brings peace to the border areas, Islamabad seems to be struggling to dispel reports that it was Pakistan that made the first call seeking a ceasefire. The truce, which came after the US intervention, was welcomed with cheer in Pakistan, while not so much in India.

While India had stated that it was Pakistan which asked for a ceasefire, Pakistan's ISPR director general seemed to be in a hurry to refute the claims. "Let me put it on record that Pakistan never requested for a ceasefire," he said. 

But, the world media thinks otherwise. According to a report by The New York Times, it was India's strike at the Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi that sent shivers down Pakistan's Army. The strike served as a warning that India could do huge damage as Nur Khan is not only the home to the air refuelling capability that kept Pakistani fighter jets in the air, but it is also near the headquarters of Pakistan’s Strategic Plans Division, which oversees and protects the country’s nuclear arsenal. It was then that Pakistan approached the US, which was already in talks with both countries.  

When Vice President J D Vance called Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he didn’t commit to de-escalation and also repeated that India would hit back if Pakistan escalated. It was after this that India struck three Pakistani airbases, according to Bloomberg.  

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio conducted another round of diplomacy, placing separate calls to Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir and Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Following this, Pakistan’s Directors General of Military Operations — a group of top generals — called counterparts in India at 1 p.m. local time, the Bloomberg quoted a senior India official. The two sides talked for two-and-a-half hours later  and both sides agreed to stop hostilities, the person said.

Also read: Unlike Pakistan, India didn't lavish praise on the US for its mediation. Here is why

Meanwhile, highly placed sources told The Australia Today that India agreed to the ceasefire following a call from Pakistani DGMO to his Indian counterpart, stating Pakistan would not undertake any more strikes and specifically requesting a ceasefire. The report added that Pakistan needed a ceasefire if the International Monetary Fund (IMF) tranche of $1 billion was to come. The provisional tranche was contingent on Pakistan’s immediate acceptance of the ceasefire, with the remaining funds tied to continued compliance.

World