After the battle of Chawinda, which proved to be a bloodbath for General Chaudhery's army, India pleaded its case for an unconditional ceasefire at the UN. Pakistan agreed, after some reluctance, and "to prove to the world our determination to pursue the path of peace".

The unremitting punishment inflicted by this this band of stalwarts and their mates, first upon the the Indian Air Force and then upon the lndian Army, at last forced the enemy to come to terms and seek a truce. The proposed cease fire provided the opportune for the Pakistani side as well, because the frenetic intensity of operations had severely depleted stocks of ammunition and explosives. Moreover, the prevailing stalemate seemed certain

to degenerate into a war of attrition which Pakistan would have found difficult to sustain in the absence of reserves of manpower and hardware.