The day so far
India and Pakistan have agreed an immediate and full ceasefire to the conflict that has escalated for weeks in the disputed territory of Kashmir, following a deadly terror attack in an India-administered area of the region that killed 26 on 22 April.
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The US president, Donald Trump, announced the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan after deadly attacks between the nuclear-armed rivals. The ceasefire came after a “a long night of talks mediated by the United States”, Trump said.
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The announcement, confirmed by both countries, came after India and Pakistan fired volleys of missiles across their borders on Saturday as the escalated their worst fighting in nearly three decades.
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The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the agreement came after extensive negotiations by him and the US vice-president, JD Vance, with the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers, Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, and other top officials. Both sides had earlier said they would be willing to de-escalate the conflict if the other side was willing to do the same.
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Rubio, posting on X, said both sides would now start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site. Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, told broadcaster Geo news that three dozen countries were involved in the diplomacy that secured the “full fledged” ceasefire.
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Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan military officials told state-run media it had launched a retaliatory operation, targeting several bases including a missile storage site in northern India. Officials said the attack was called Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos, an Arabic phrase meaning “wall of lead”.
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Pakistan’s offensive came shortly after it said India had fired missiles from fighter jets at three airbases earlier on Saturday, including one close to the capital, Islamabad. Pakistan said its air defences had intercepted most of them.
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Locked in a longstanding dispute over Kashmir, the two countries have engaged in daily clashes since Wednesday, when India launched strikes inside Pakistan on what it called militant bases.
Key events
As both countries step back from the brink, the animosity generated by decades of dispute still endures.
The Guardian’s Jason Burke reports:
If this ceasefire holds, then coming weeks will see a new battle: of narratives.
India has claimed that Lashkar-e-Taiba, the extremist group that carried out the massacre three weeks ago of 25 tourists and a guide in Indian-controlled Kashmir that started the conflict, is merely a proxy for Islamabad. Pakistan has denied this. Maintaining a state of conflict in Kashmir, undermining Delhi’s control there and internationalising the conflict have been strategic goals of Pakistan’s hugely powerful military for decades. Islamic militant groups, some based in Kashmir, others recruited and based elsewhere, have been a key tool to achieve this. That no one in Pakistan’s security establishment had any prior idea of April’s attack seems implausible.
Pakistani officials seek to highlight underlying causes of violence: ongoing repression in Kashmir, the revocation by Delhi of the region’s autonomous status in 2019 and multiple other grievances.
For the full analysis, click here:
Drone attacks reported in Jammu despite ceasefire
Reuters is now reporting that residents in India’s town of Jammu are facing drone attacks just hours after the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was announced.
According to witnesses, blasts can be heard and projectiles have been seen in the sky.
Indian and Pakistani officials have yet to comment on the reports.
The day so far
India and Pakistan have agreed an immediate and full ceasefire to the conflict that has escalated for weeks in the disputed territory of Kashmir, following a deadly terror attack in an India-administered area of the region that killed 26 on 22 April.
-
The US president, Donald Trump, announced the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan after deadly attacks between the nuclear-armed rivals. The ceasefire came after a “a long night of talks mediated by the United States”, Trump said.
-
The announcement, confirmed by both countries, came after India and Pakistan fired volleys of missiles across their borders on Saturday as the escalated their worst fighting in nearly three decades.
-
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said the agreement came after extensive negotiations by him and the US vice-president, JD Vance, with the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers, Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, and other top officials. Both sides had earlier said they would be willing to de-escalate the conflict if the other side was willing to do the same.
-
Rubio, posting on X, said both sides would now start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site. Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, told broadcaster Geo news that three dozen countries were involved in the diplomacy that secured the “full fledged” ceasefire.
-
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan military officials told state-run media it had launched a retaliatory operation, targeting several bases including a missile storage site in northern India. Officials said the attack was called Operation Bunyan Ul Marsoos, an Arabic phrase meaning “wall of lead”.
-
Pakistan’s offensive came shortly after it said India had fired missiles from fighter jets at three airbases earlier on Saturday, including one close to the capital, Islamabad. Pakistan said its air defences had intercepted most of them.
-
Locked in a longstanding dispute over Kashmir, the two countries have engaged in daily clashes since Wednesday, when India launched strikes inside Pakistan on what it called militant bases.
The ceasefire agreed by India and Pakistan on Saturday is “hugely welcome”, UK foreign secretary David Lammy wrote on X, adding that de-escalation was in “everybody’s interest”.
“Today’s ceasefire between India and Pakistan is hugely welcome. I urge both parties to sustain this. De-escalation is in everybody’s interest,” he wrote.
In a post on X, India’s minister of external affairs S. Jaishankar said:
India and Pakistan have today worked out an understanding on stoppage of firing and military action.
India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so.
People have gathered in both India and Pakistan to celebrate the ceasefire.
The Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan remains suspended, four government sources told Reuters, despite the countries reaching a ceasefire agreement on Saturday after days of deadly fighting.
The 1960 treaty regulates the sharing of water from the Indus river and its tributaries between the South Asian nations. India pulled out of it last month after the deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir that sparked the latest round of conflict between the two countries.
Indian military representative, wing commander Vyomika Singh said during a short press conference that India had not targeted mosques during fighting, refuting Pakistan’s claims that it had struck religious sites.
Several attempts were made by Pakistan on a “misinformation campaign”, Singh said. “We hold every place of worship of all faiths in the highest regard,” she told the news conference, adding: “no religious sites have been targeted by the Indian armed forces”.
Many in Pakistan greeted news of the ceasefire with relief and joy, AP reports.
Chanting slogans of “Long Live Pakistan,” people in many cities welcomed the ceasefire with India, calling it a moment of national pride and relief after days of heightened tension.
“This is a big day for Pakistan,” said Mohammad Fateh, a young man in the city of Lahore. “Our forces responded with strength, and India had no choice but to agree to a ceasefire.”
In Islamabad, Zubaida Bibi, 45, expressed joy at the restoration of peace with India, saying, “War brings nothing but suffering. We are happy that calm is returning. It feels like Eid to me. We have won.”
In the northwest of Pakistan, in the city of Peshawar and tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, some people fired guns in the air to celebrate the ceasefire.
In Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, residents welcomed the ceasefire, hoping it would bring long-awaited relief to a region that has borne the brunt of recurring conflict.
“For us, peace means survival,” said Zulfikar Ali, a resident. “We’ve suffered enough. I’m glad that both Pakistan and India have made a sensible decision.”
Watch the Indian defence ministry’s news briefing
Pakistan’s airspace reopens
Pakistan’s airspace has been fully reopened for all types of flights according to Pakistan’s airport authority (APA).
A notice on the APA website reads: “All airports across the country are available for normal flight operations.
Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for updated flight schedules.”
The APA said earlier today that Pakistan’s airspace would close for 24 hours.
Reuters reports that Pakistan’s foreign minister Ishaq Dar told broadcaster Geo news on Saturday that Pakistan and India had agreed to a “full-fledged” and “not partial” ceasefire, adding that three dozen countries were involved in the diplomacy that secured it.
AP also reports that Dar told Geo news that Saudi Arabia and Turkey played an important role in facilitating the deal that was first announced by US president Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform.
India confirms ceasefire began at 5pm local time
In a very brief press conference, India also confirmed the immediate ceasefire.
India’s foreign secretary Vikram Misri said:
The director general of military operations in Pakistan called the director general of military operations in India at 15:35, earlier this afternoon. It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all fighting and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from 17:00 Indian standard time today.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says India and Pakistan “have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site”.
In a post on X, he said:
Over the past 48 hours, VP (JD) Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik.
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.
We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.
Pakistan’s foreign minister says immediate ceasefire agreed
Pakistan’s foreign minister, Ishaq Dar says India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect.
In a post on X, Dar, who is also Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, 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!
It is worth noting that despite Trump’s announcement, neither India nor Pakistan has yet confirmed the ceasefire.
The press conference with India’s defence and foreign ministries that was scheduled to begin at 1pm has not yet started, but we will bring you any developments as soon as we have them.
Donald Trump announces ‘full and immediate’ ceasefire between India and Pakistan
In a post on his Truth Social platform, US president Donald Trump has announced a “full and immediate” ceasefire between India and Pakistan.
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!
Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan has called his Indian and Pakistani counterparts to offer the kingdom’s services as a mediator between the two nuclear-armed states.
He said in a statement:
During the telephone calls, discussions focused on efforts to put an end to the ongoing military clashes.
He underlined the “kingdom’s commitment to regional security and stability, and its close and balanced relations with the two friendly countries”.
Riyadh had already sought to defuse rising tensions in the run-up to this week’s clashes, announcing on April 25 that it had “taken steps to avoid an escalation”.
We’re expecting India’s foreign and defence ministries to hold a news briefing in just under 40 minutes.
We’ll have a live stream of that when it begins, and bring you text updates.