ISLAMABAD: Normality returns to the Subcontinent after Pakistan and India agreed on Saturday to a full and immediate ceasefire after days of deadly jet fighter, missile, drone and artillery attacks — news surprisingly announced by US President Donald Trump, who congratulated them on using “common sense”.
Officials from Islamabad and New Delhi confirmed the development minutes after Mr Trump posted the announcement on his Truth Social network, as the conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours appeared to be spiralling towards a full-blown war.
“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,” Mr Trump posted.
In a statement on X, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said: “Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect. Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he added.
Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri said the two countries’ military operations chiefs had spoken to each other and agreed that all fighting would stop at 5pm Indian time (1130 GMT), without using the word “ceasefire”. He said the two DGMOs would speak to each other again on May 12.
Mr Dar told Geo News that military channels and hotlines between India and Pakistan had been activated, and three dozen countries had actively helped to facilitate the agreement.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked US President Donald Trump for his “leadership and proactive role” in helping Pakistan and India achieve peace in the region. “Pakistan appreciates the US for facilitating this outcome, which we have accepted in the interest of regional peace and stability,” he said in a post on X.
The ceasefire comes after four days of attacks and counter-attacks by both sides that killed at least 60 people and saw thousands of civilians flee their homes along their border as well as in Azad and occupied Kashmir.
The fighting was touched off by an attack last month in the India-held Kashmir town of Pahalgam that killed 26 tourists, which Delhi blamed on Islamabad.
Pakistani military sources said armed forces had shot down at least 77 Israeli-made high-tech drones, while Indian officials claimed they had destroyed hundreds of Pakistani drones, many Turkish-made.
Pakistan also says it downed five Indian warplanes — including three French Rafale fighter jets — although New Delhi has not confirmed any losses.
This was the first time the two nations used drone attacks on a large scale against each other. Both countries have been developing their own drones, and they also import them.
Punitive measures in place
Despite the truce, two Indian government sources told Reuters that the punitive measures announced by India and reciprocated by Pakistan, such as trade suspension and visa cancellations, would remain in place for now.
The sources also said the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, a critical water-sharing pact that India suspended after the Pahalgam attack, would continue to remain in abeyance.
Meanwhile, in contradiction to Mr Misri’s statement that the Directors General of Military Operations (DGMOs) of Pakistan and India would “talk again on May 12 at 12pm (11:30am Pakistan time)”, the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting reported that “there is no decision to hold talks on any other issue at any other place”.
Quoting its Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian information ministry tweeted that the “stoppage of firing and military action between India and Pakistan was worked out directly between the two countries”.
“The Pak DGMO initiated the call this afternoon after which discussions took place and understanding reached,” it added.
Positive step
“The ceasefire is a positive step,” said Bilal Shabbir, an IT consultant in Muzaffarabad. “In war, it’s not just soldiers who die, it’s mostly civilians — and in this case, it would have been the people of Kashmir.”
Ehsan Malik, CEO of the Pakistan Business Council, said both Pakistan and India “need to lift their large populations on virtually every measure of socio-economic development. We are happy that a ceasefire will help both governments to focus on this priority”.
Shuja Nawaz, distinguished fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Centre, said the Indus treaty would figure prominently in the impending talks “after a decent interval, which allows both governments to claim credit for what they’ve achieved until now”.
However, within hours after the ceasefire, violations were reported from both sides of the Line of Control (LoC).
Blasts were heard in Srinagar and Jammu and projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky over Jammu, similar to the events of the previous evening, according to authorities, residents and Reuters witnesses.
Residents in the city of Barnala, in Azad Kashmir, reported hearing exchanges of fire along the line dividing the region, according to the New York Times.
Military spokespeople in both countries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Separately, occupied Kashmir’s chief minister Omar Abdullah posted on X: “What the hell just happened to the ceasefire? Explosions heard across Srinagar!!!”
