Ex-CDS On How India-Pak Ceasefire Info Leaked To US Before Delhi Could Announce It: 'I'm Not Sure, But...'

News india Ex-CDS On How India-Pak Ceasefire Info Leaked To US Before Delhi Could Announce It: 'I'm Not Sure, But...'

Ex-CDS On How India-Pak Ceasefire Info Leaked To US Before Delhi Could Announce It: 'I'm Not Sure, But...'

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Last Updated: August 26, 2026, 11:35 IST

Former CDS Anil Chauhan questioned how the US got information about the India-Pakistan ceasefire before India could announce it, saying, “it didn't leak out from us”.

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Former CDS General Anil Chauhan questioned how information about the India-Pakistan ceasefire reached the US before India could publicly announce it. (Photo: AFP)

Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan questioned how information about the India-Pakistan ceasefire during Operation Sindoor reached the United States before India could publicly announce the understanding, saying he was “really not sure" how it was leaked.

Speaking at the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi on Tuesday, Chauhan was addressing claims by US President Donald Trump that he had mediated the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan.

Chauhan, however, maintained that the ceasefire in the military domain was decided directly between the two countries’ Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs).

“How was this particular information leaked out to the Americans that they tweeted at before we could announce this? Again, I’m really not sure, but it didn’t leak out from us," Chauhan said.

India-Pakistan Ceasefire Decided Between Two DGMOs

Chauhan described the sequence of events leading to the ceasefire, saying the communication was directly between the Indian and Pakistani DGMOs and that both sides decided the timing of their conversation.

He was categorical in describing the understanding reached through the military channel.

“So the ceasefire was decided between two DGMOs. And that’s it. I don’t see the role of anyone else," Chauhan said.

He also said there had been an understanding at the DGMO level that such conversations would be kept confidential.

“So there had been some understanding between us at the DGMO level, that this is any kind of conversation which had helped. We maintain due secrecy on this," he said.

‘It Didn’t Leak Out From Us’

Chauhan suggested that the information may have originated from the Pakistani side, while making clear that he could not say with certainty how it reached the United States before India made its own announcement.

“So I think that it somehow got leaked out from the other side. That’s what I feel," he said.

His remarks come amid repeated claims by Trump that US pressure, including the threat of tariffs, helped bring India and Pakistan’s military confrontation to an end.

Trump had said that both countries were “very angry" after the US threatened high trade tariffs and subsequently called to say they would not go to war.

Trump also claimed that Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif credited him with saving millions of lives by averting a wider conflict.

India, however, has consistently rejected the suggestion of third-party intervention in the cessation of military action, maintaining that the understanding was reached through direct bilateral military channels.

India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year as a targeted response against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

The operation was paused on May 10 after a formal request from the Pakistani side.

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Key Questions Answered Powered by Ask News18 How did the US learn about the ceasefire so quickly? Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan stated he was unsure how the US learned about the India-Pakistan ceasefire before India's announcement, but suggested the information may have leaked from the Pakistani side. What was the real reason for the India-Pakistan ceasefire? Pakistan sought a ceasefire with India during Operation Sindoor after suffering significant military damage, even before India had completed half of its planned military operations. Powered by Ask News18

About the Author Vani Mehrotra Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy News Editor at News18.com. She has more than 10 years of experience in national and international news and has previously worked on multiple desks.

First Published: August 26, 2026, 11:13 IST

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