India and Pakistan have agreed to a US-mediated ceasefire with immediate effect, though its longevity was thrown into question after reports of cross-border shelling and explosions in Indian-administered Kashmir just hours after it was announced.
The ceasefire – which was hoped to end days of escalating clashes between the two nuclear-armed countries – was first declared by the US president, Donald Trump, on Saturday afternoon, after 48 hours of diplomacy between India and Pakistan, apparently brokered by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, and vice-president, JD Vance.
Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, said: “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The ceasefire was later confirmed in a post on X by the Pakistani deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, who said the ceasefire would come in “with immediate effect”.
The Indian foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, said the heads of military operations from both countries had spoken on Saturday afternoon.
“It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, and in the air and sea. Instructions have been given on both sides to give effect to this understanding.” The top military officials would speak again on 12 May, Misri added.
However, the agreement was thrown into question after cross-border shelling restarted between the Indian and Pakistan armies on Saturday night. Srinagar, the main city in Indian-administered Kashmir, was also rocked by heavy explosions from projectiles that soared across the border.
On Saturday night, Misri said India’s armed forces had been given instructions to “deal strongly” with the violations.
An Indian government source told AFP that Pakistan had violated the ceasefire. A senior Pakistani security source said it was India that had started the ceasefire violations.
The Pakistani foreign ministry said in the early hours of Sunday that it “remains committed to faithful implementation” of the ceasefire it has agreed to with India.
Accusing India of committing its own violations, the Pakistani foreign ministry said its forces were “handling the situation with responsibility and restraint”. It continued: “We believe that any issues in smooth implementation of the ceasefire should be addressed through communication at appropriate levels. The troops on ground should also exercise restraint.”
Rubio said the ceasefire agreement had come after extensive negotiations by him and Vance with the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers, Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, and other top officials.
“I am pleased to announce the governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site,” Rubio said on X.
“We commend prime ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace,” he added.
News of the ceasefire was greeted with celebrations across India and Pakistan, particularly in Kashmir, the disputed region divided between the two countries that had been at the forefront of hostilities, with dozens killed in shelling over the border – known as the Line of Control (LoC) – in the past week.
In Uri, near the border in Indian-administered Kashmir, one of the worst-hit towns in the recent cross-border violence, Tanveer Chalko, 30, described scenes of jubilation.
“When news of the ceasefire broke, displaced families in camps began dancing with joy,” he said. “This is a great step towards peace and the welfare of the people. As a resident of a frontier area, I cannot put into words what this announcement means for us. Now everyone is preparing to return home.”
But Lal Din, 55, a resident of Poonch, a border town in Indian-administered Kashmir where many were killed and injured in this week’s violence along the LoC, said the news of the ceasefire was bittersweet. His home was destroyed in cross-border shelling and two of his relatives were killed.
“We’ve been here before – temporary ceasefires brokered by global powers. But until India and Pakistan seriously settle their disputes, we must brace for even greater conflicts,” he said.
However, those who gathered in the streets to celebrate were then driven indoors as explosions began to boom out over parts of Indian-Kashmir on Saturday night.
Historically, the US has played an important role as a mediator between India and Pakistan when hostilities have flared up. The Trump administration’s proactive role in brokering peace was, however, a notable reversal of Vance’s position 48 hours earlier, when he said the US would not intervene in the India-Pakistan conflict as it was “none of our business”.
The ceasefire appeared to give both sides the opportunity to walk away claiming victory. “India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” said India’s foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
In Pakistan it was met with a chorus of approval. “Congratulations to the civil and military leadership for emerging out of the war with dignity, professionalism and national resolve unequivocally intact,” said the Pakistani senator Sherry Rehman.
The ceasefire came after India and Pakistan accused each other of cross-border missile strikes against significant military targets on Saturday, with many fearful it would escalate into all-out war. India and Pakistan have fought four wars, most recently in 1999.
The fighting this week was first inflamed on Wednesday after Indian missiles struck nine sites in Pakistan, killing 31 people. India has said those strikes were in response to an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir late last month, in which militants killed 25 Hindu tourists and a guide, which it blamed on Pakistani-backed extremists.
The situation escalated further after India accused Pakistan of two consecutive nights of drone attacks. India claimed to have intercepted more than 400 drones targeting cities, military bases and places of worship across the north of the country on Thursday. In retaliation, India said it had launched four drone strikes on Pakistan, directly targeting military defence infrastructure.
By Saturday morning, India had accused Pakistan of launching strikes on dozens of airbases and military headquarters across north India, using long-range weapons, drones and fighter aircraft. The accusations came a few hours after Pakistan said India had fired six surface-to-air missiles targeting three of Pakistan’s most important military bases early on Saturday morning. Both accused the other of firing cross-border missiles first.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
