By Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam, Shivam Patel, Charlotte Greenfield, Aftab Ahmed
ISLAMABAD/NEW DELHI (WARNEWS) – Following U.S. urging, nuclear-capable adversaries India and Pakistan consented to a truce on Saturday. The agreement came after 72 hours of conflict; however, just moments later, blasts echoed across frontier regions. India promptly alleged that Pakistan had breached the accord.
Artillery fire and attack drones were observed in Jammu and Kashmir, which was at the heart of most clashes. Meanwhile, explosions from anti-aircraft defense systems echoed through the darkened cities, as they did the night before, according to officials, locals, and reports from WARNEWS witnesses.
The Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri informed journalists that Pakistan had breached the agreement reached between both nations earlier in the same day, and that the Indian military was directed to respond forcefully should such an incident recur.
“We urge Pakistan to undertake necessary actions to tackle these breaches and handle the circumstances with gravity and accountability,” Misri stated at a press conference.
In reply, Pakistan’s foreign ministry stated that the nation upheld the ceasefire but accused India of violating it. The statement added, “Our forces are managing the circumstances with accountability and composure.”
The ministry additionally urged the forces in the field to show restraint and emphasized that any problems encountered in executing the ceasefire ought to be resolved via dialogue at the proper hierarchical levels.
The Pakistani military’s press officer did not promptly reply to inquiries seeking remarks.
The conflict has reached its highest intensity between the long-standing South Asian rivals in almost thirty years and came dangerously close to escalating into an all-out war within one of the globe’s most unstable and heavily populated areas.
Initially, concerns arose regarding the potential use of nuclear armaments when Pakistan’s military announced that an authoritative group managing their nuclear weapons was scheduled for a meeting.
However, the defense minister stated that no such meeting had been planned, just a few hours following intense clashes throughout the night where both nations struck at one another’s military installations, leading to an aggregate civilian fatality count climbing to 66.
India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire,” tweeted Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. “Pakistan remains committed to achieving peace and security in the region while upholding our sovereignty and territorial integrity!
Previously, Misri mentioned that the heads of the militaries from both nations’ operation commands had communicated with one another and concurred that all hostilities would cease by 5 p.m. Indian standard time (1130 GMT).
President Donald Trump announced: “Following extensive negotiations facilitated by the United States throughout the night, I’m delighted to share that India and Pakistan have committed to a TOTAL AND INSTANT Ceasefire. Kudos to both nations for employing Good Judgment and High IQs.”
HOTLINES AND DIPLOMACY
Dar informed Geo News that communication routes used by militaries of both nations as well as direct phone lines between India and Pakistan were operationalized, with around three dozen countries assisting in brokering the deal.
On Wednesday, India struck what it claimed was “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistani Kashmir and Pakistan itself, following an incident two weeks prior where 26 individuals were murdered during an assault on Hindu visitors in Indian Kashmir.
Pakistan refuted India’s claims that it had a role in the assault. This led to days of retaliatory actions including border clashes, artillery exchanges, as well as drone and missile strikes between the two nations.
Even with the ceasefire, according to two Indian government officials speaking to WARNEWS, the retaliatory actions initiated by both India and Pakistan—including suspending trade and canceling visas—would continue for the time being.
Sources indicated that the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, an essential agreement for sharing waters which India halted following the Kashmir assault, will stay suspended.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs did not reply to requests for comments.
The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that during a 48-hour period, he and Vice President JD Vance interacted with key figures including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistani leader Shehbaz Sharif, as well as India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistan’s military chief Asim Munir, along with both nations’ national security advisors.
CONVERSATIONS TO TAKE PLACE AT IMPARTIAL LOCATION
On a tweet posted on X, Rubio praised both Modi and Sharif for reaching an accord. He mentioned that this agreement encompassed more than just an instant truce; it also initiated discussions on “an extensive range of topics” at a location deemed neutral by both parties.
News of the ceasefire was greeted with relief on both sides of the border and Pakistan’s airport authority said its airspace had been fully reopened.
But the subsequent violations sparked alarm in India.
What in the world just occurred with the ceasefire? Explosions were heard throughout Srinagar!!!,” tweeted Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. He added, “This doesn’t look like any ceasefire. Air defense units in central Srinagar have started firing.
India and Pakistan have been embroiled in a conflict over Kashmir from the moment they gained independence following the end of British colonial rule in 1947. While Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan each control a portion of Kashmir, both nations assert complete sovereignty over the region.
They have engaged in warfare thrice, with two conflicts specifically centered around Kashmir, along with several minor skirmishes.
India attributes the insurgency in its portion of Kashmir, which started in 1989 and has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, to Pakistan. Additionally, India holds Pakistani extremist groups responsible for various assaults within Indian territory.
Pakistan denies these accusations. It maintains that it offers solely moral, political, and diplomatic backing to the Kashmiri separatist groups.
(Reported by Gibran Peshimam, Charlotte Greenfield, and Saeed Shah in Islamabad, Ariba Shahid in Karachi, Asif Shahzad in Muzaffarabad, Shivam Patel in New Delhi, Aftab Ahmed in Jammu, Fayaz Bukhari in Srinagar, and Saurabh Sharma with Rishabh Jaiswal and Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Written by Charlotte Greenfield, Gibran Peshimam, Krishna N. Das, and YP Rajesh; Edited by Mark Potter, Kevin Liffey, Louise Heavens, and Matthew Lewis)
