Our Bureau
Islamabad
The whole fiasco of the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan has been going on for a long time with multiple sides claiming to be the reasons behind the agreement. Now, the Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar has revealed that Pakistan was compelled to request India for a ceasefire last month.
The Deputy PM stated that after India struck down the air bases in Rawalpindi and Punjab province, the Pakistani government decided to reach out to the United States to intervene. The government also roped in Saudi Arabia to assist them in these talks. He even talked about his discussions with Saudi Prince Faisal and how he helped him through talks with India.
“Unfortunately, India once again launched missile strikes at 2.30 am. They attacked the Nur Khan air base and Shorkot air base… Within 45 minutes, Saudi Prince Faisal called me. He said he had then just learnt about my conversation with (US Secretary of State) Marco Rubio. He asked if he was authorised to talk to (India’s External Affairs Minister) S Jaishankar and convey that we are ready if they (India) stop. I said yes, brother, you can. He then called me back, saying he had conveyed the same to Jaishankar,” Mr. Dar said.
The Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi is one of the most sensitive military locations of the country. The air base comprises both air force operations and the VIP transport units. So when India attacked the air base in its Operation Sindoor, Pakistan was compelled to request for a ceasefire.
As per the government sources, US was anticipating that the tensions between India and Pakistan were going to escalate further. They portrayed a neutral stance in front of the public, but the US had a straightforward message for Pakistan and stated, “Use the official military hotline and de-escalate without further delay.”
