Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Ex-CDS Chauhan: India delayed Pakistan's ceasefire request during Operation Sindoor
India and Pakistan are two neighboring countries that sometimes have big fights.
In May 2025, India started a military operation called Operation Sindoor.
India did this because a terror attack in a place called Pahalgam hurt and killed many innocent people.
Pakistan asked India to stop fighting by calling a special military hotline on May 10, 2025.
A former top Indian general, Anil Chauhan, said India waited before answering Pakistan's call.
He said India had not finished even half of its planned strikes.
India wanted to finish its military plan and show it could hit targets deep inside Pakistan.
Indian warplanes also hit Pakistani airbases so enemy planes could not easily fly.
Both countries finally agreed to stop fighting after military officials from both sides talked to each other that same day.
Former CDS General Anil Chauhan said Pakistan sought a ceasefire via the DGMO hotline on May 10, 2025, when India had completed less than half its planned strikes.
India deliberately delayed its response, keeping Pakistan waiting until the afternoon, to finish key military objectives including strikes on targets deep inside Pakistan.
Pakistan, which had projected confidence a day earlier saying it would "sort India out" within 48 hours, called for talks within about eight hours of Indian strikes.
Indian Air Force strikes on Pakistani airbases, including Sargodha and Noor Khan, severely disrupted Pakistan Air Force operations, according to Chauhan.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7, 2025, after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack killed 26 civilians; hostilities ended May 10 after military-level DGMO talks.
- Who
- Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, who spoke about the Indian and Pakistani militaries communicating through the DGMO hotline during Operation Sindoor.
- What
- India deliberately delayed responding to Pakistan's ceasefire request until it had completed more of its planned military strikes, including on Pakistani airbases.
- When
- May 10, 2025, during Operation Sindoor, which ran from May 7, 2025; the operation followed the April 22, 2025 Pahalgam terror attack.
- Where
- India and Pakistan, including Indian strikes on Pakistani airbases such as Sargodha and Noor Khan and terror camps across the border.
- Why
- India wanted to complete its military objectives and demonstrate its ability to strike targets deep inside Pakistan, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 civilians.
India's stance
Pakistan's stance
Ceasefire timing
India's stance
India deliberately delayed responding to Pakistan's ceasefire request because less than half of its planned strikes were complete and key military objectives were still pending.
Pakistan's stance
Pakistan sought an early ceasefire through the DGMO hotline after assessing the damage from Indian air strikes, believing it had already inflicted significant damage and wanting to avoid additional waves of planned Indian attacks.
Conflict expectations
India's stance
Indian commanders had superior battlefield awareness with real-time information, allowing faster decisions that kept India on the offensive throughout the operation.
Pakistan's stance
Pakistani leaders had projected confidence a day earlier, claiming they would "sort India out" within 48 hours, yet Islamabad sought talks within about eight hours of Indian strikes.
- Operation
- Operation Sindoor
- Key figure
- Former CDS General Anil Chauhan
- Launch date
- May 7, 2025
- Ceasefire request
- May 10, 2025 via DGMO hotline, around 9-9:30 am
- Trigger
- April 22, 2025 terror attack in Pahalgam
- Civilians killed in Pahalgam
- At least 26, of whom 25 were Indian
- Airbases struck
- Sargodha and Noor Khan
- End of hostilities
- May 10, 2025 after military-level DGMO talks
