Indian PM Modi set to address nation after Pakistan truce

NEW DELHI: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to address the nation on Monday for the first time since a weekend ceasefire with Pakistan that brought the nuclear-armed rivals back from the brink of all-out war.

Modi’s office said the television address would start at 8:00 pm (1430 GMT).

US President Donald Trump announced the truce late Saturday after four days of missile, drone and artillery attacks which killed at least 60 people and sent thousands fleeing on both sides.

The heads of military operations of India and Pakistan were also set to review the truce later Monday.

It comes after the Indian army reported the “first calm night in recent days” in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and along its western border with Pakistan.

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Initially the conversation had been due to take place at 12:00 pm (0630 GMT) but Indian officials said it had been delayed to the evening.

Abdul Basit at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore said it would be about modalities of the ceasefire and not policy decisions.

The aim is to “avoid any miscalculations, because right now one spark could quickly move towards a nuclear catastrophe,” Basit told AFP.

The flare-up in violence was the worst since the rivals’ last open conflict in 1999 and sparked global shudders that it could spiral into full-blown war.

There were initial doubts as the rivals accused each other of breaching the ceasefire just hours after it was unexpectedly announced by Trump on social media.

“The night remained largely peaceful across… IIOJK and other areas along the international border,” the Indian army said.

“No incidents have been reported, marking the first calm night in recent days,” the statement added.

India reopened 32 airports on Monday that had been closed due to the conflict, authorities said.