India and Pakistan agree to a ceasefire in US-mediated talks
ISLAMABAD AP India and Pakistan on Saturday agreed to a ceasefire following U S -led talks to end the preponderance serious military confrontation between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades The ceasefire deal follows weeks of clashes missile and drone strikes across their borders that were triggered by a gun massacre of tourists last month that India blames on Pakistan which denies the charge Dozens of civilians have been killed on both sides The first word of the truce came from U S President Donald Trump who posted on his Truth Social platform that he was pleased to announce that India and Pakistan had 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 Pakistan s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar broadcasted the ceasefire on Geo News He announced Saudi Arabia and Turkey played an central role in facilitating the deal Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri mentioned the head of military operations from both countries spoke 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 authorities would speak again on May Misri added The deal has brought a swift conclusion to military escalation India declared it targeted Pakistani air bases early Saturday after Islamabad fired several high-speed missiles at military and civilian infrastructure in the country s Punjab state Pakistan revealed it intercepted greater part missiles and responded with retaliatory strikes on India India says it gave a befitting reply to Pakistan strikes Earlier Saturday India s military held a press briefing in New Delhi saying Pakistan targeted strength facilities and schools at its three air bases in Indian-controlled Kashmir Befitting reply has been given to Pakistani actions disclosed Indian Col Sofiya Qureshi Wing Commander Vyomika Singh noted India was committed to non-escalation provided that Pakistan reciprocated However Pakistani ground forces were observed mobilizing toward forward areas she noted indicating an offensive intent to further escalate the situation Indian armed forces remain in a high state of operational readiness she added Pakistan s military disclosed it used medium-range Fateh missiles to hit an Indian missile storage facility and air bases in the cities of Pathankot and Udhampur The Associated Press could not independently verify all the actions attributed to Pakistan or India Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmad Sharif commented Pakistan s air force assets were safe following the Indian assault Indian strikes target Pakistani air bases Tensions have soared since an attack at a popular tourist site in India-controlled Kashmir left civilians dead mostly Indian Hindu tourists on April New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for backing the assault an accusation Islamabad rejects Indian missiles Saturday targeted Nur Khan air base in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad Murid air base in Chakwal city and Rafiqui air base in the Jhang district of eastern Punjab province according to Pakistan s military spokesman There were no immediate reports of the strike or its aftermath from residents in the densely populated Rawalpindi Pakistanis celebrated the missile launches on India Thank God we have at last responded to Indian aggression mentioned Muhammad Ashraf who had gone out in Lahore for breakfast There were jubilant scenes in Peshawar and Karachi Explosions in India-controlled Kashmir Following the announcement of Pakistani retaliation residents in Indian-controlled Kashmir reported they heard loud explosions at multiple places including the two big cities of Srinagar and Jammu and the garrison town of Udhampur Explosions that we are hearing currently are different from the ones we heard the last two nights during drone attacks noted Shesh Paul Vaid the region s former top police official and Jammu resident It looks like a war here Vaid mentioned explosions were heard from areas with military bases adding it appeared that army sites were targeted Residents living near Srinagar city s airport which is also an air base revealed they were rattled by the explosions and booming sound of jets I was already awake but the explosions jolted my kids out of their sleep They started crying commented Srinagar resident Mohammed Yasin adding he heard at least two explosions Praveen Donthi a senior analyst with the International Emergency Group for India announced the two countries were at war even if they had not yet labelled it as one It s become a remorseless race for military one-upmanship with no apparent strategic end goals from either side noted Donthi Finding an exit or off-ramp is going to be challenging India and Pakistan have traded strikes and heavy cross-border fire for days resulting in civilian casualties on both sides Buildings were destroyed or damaged in Indian-controlled Kashmir where powerful blasts ripped off roofs windows and walls and left homes riddled with holes Villagers and rescuers in a district of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir sifted through the rubble of homes hit by overnight Indian shelling on Friday as people carried the dead Others surveyed the ruins Hussain disclosed from Srinagar India and Roy shared from New Delhi Associated Press writers Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi Babar Dogar in Lahore Pakistan Asim Tanveer in Multan Pakistan and Riaz Khan in Peshawar Pakistan contributed to this analysis
