India and Pakistan agree to an immediate ceasefire after days of escalation

India and Pakistan person agreed to an immediate ceasefire aft days of subject escalation, deadly cross-border attacks, accusations and antagonistic accusations, had raised acute concerns that the 2 nuclear-armed neighbours would prosecute successful an all-out war for the 5th clip since 1947.

But violations of the truce were reported aboriginal connected Saturday arsenic explosions rang retired crossed parts of Indian-administered Kashmir.

Military officials from some countries had spoken to each different and agreed that each warring would halt astatine 17:00 Indian clip (11:30 GMT) connected Saturday, bringing a halt to each firing and operations by land, air, and sea. This followed dense overnight exchanges Friday into Saturday.

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the 2 subject chiefs would talk to each different again connected May 12.

“Pakistan has ever strived for bid and information successful the region, without compromising connected its sovereignty and territorial integrity,”  Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said.

The announcement had been met with alleviation and joyous scenes by residents successful some countries and successful the areas of disputed Kashmir that each administers.

But conscionable hours aft the ceasefire was announced, explosions were heard crossed the metropolis of Srinagar successful Indian administered Kashmir, according to Omar Abdullah, main curate of the national territory. “What the hellhole conscionable happened to the ceasefire? Explosions heard crossed Srinagar,” Abdullah posted connected X.

Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Lahore, Pakistan said, “People are welcoming the ceasefire, but we are besides reminded however precarious it is, ceasefire violations are already happening crossed the Line of Control successful the disputed Kashmir region”.

“We’ve been proceeding from section sources that determination has been an speech of occurrence successful aggregate locations successful the Kashmir region, and determination are immoderate projectiles that person entered the Pakistani airspace arsenic well”, helium said.

“We’re besides proceeding the large explosions successful Srinagar, akin to what was heard aboriginal Saturday and successful the afternoon. Air sirens are each across, and there’s a powerfulness shutdown,” writer Umar Mehraj told Al Jazeera from Srinagar.

“I tin spot projectiles flying, projectiles successful the sky. It’s precise unclear if they are missiles oregon aerial defence intercepting these attacks. Similar reports of the explosions are being heard successful Baramulla and Jammu,” said Mehraj.

Electricity was chopped disconnected crossed aggregate localities, adding to the confusion. With nary authoritative clarification connected the quality of the blasts, immoderate residents described feeling “abandoned and unprepared”.

“One of the blasts was truthful almighty it made the walls tremble. Authorities are not clarifying what is going on; we bash not person immoderate shelters, nor did we perceive immoderate sirens. We bash not cognize what to do. There is lone fear,” 1 Srinagar nonmigratory told Al Jazeera.

The ceasefire appears to person been mediated by planetary actors, but determination are conflicting reports arsenic to which countries played a important role.

US President Donald Trump claims it was the US – helium was archetypal to state it connected Truth Social post: “After a agelong nighttime of talks mediated by the United States, I americium pleased to denote that India and Pakistan person agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE”.

“Congratulations to some Countries connected utilizing Common Sense and Great Intelligence,” helium wrote.

Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC, noted, “There are questions astir wherefore the US did denote first. What benignant of leverage does it person implicit India and Pakistan? We bash cognize that it was a multilateral effort to get a ceasefire. We bash know, arsenic well, that the United Kingdom has conscionable signed a large commercialized woody with India, truthful it would besides person large sway successful this. Still, the US appears to beryllium taking it further.”

However, Dar told broadcaster Geo News that Pakistan and India had agreed to a “full-fledged” and “not partial” ceasefire, adding that 3 twelve countries were progressive successful the diplomacy that secured it.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the statement besides includes plans for broader talks astatine a neutral venue, which conflicts with a connection published connected societal media by India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that says, “There is nary determination to clasp talks connected immoderate different contented astatine immoderate different place.”

Indian service soldiers basal defender successful Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Saturday, May 10, 2025 [Mukhtar Khan/AP Photo]

Broader Issues

Amid the cessation of hostilities, India and Pakistan person besides agreed to a broader dialog connected assorted issues.

Two authorities sources told the quality bureau Reuters that each measures taken by India against Pakistan aft April 22, including connected commercialized and visas, stay successful place.

Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Lahore, Pakistan, said that for the Pakistani side, the h2o contented is important “because India has suspended its related pact with Pakistan, which affects the livelihood and agriculture successful this country”.

Four authorities sources told Reuters that the Indus Waters Treaty, signed successful 1960 betwixt India and Pakistan, remains suspended.

The pact regulates the sharing of h2o from the Indus River and its tributaries betwixt the South Asian nations. India pulled retired of it past month. It is important to agriculture successful some nations.

“There are existent cardinal governmental issues that request to beryllium addressed truthful we don’t find ourselves again successful a militarised crisis,” Elizabeth Threlkeld, manager of the South Asia programme astatine the Stimson Centre, told Al Jazeera.

“The timing is important since determination is important h2o travel betwixt India and Pakistan due to the fact that of the play astatine the moment. But successful a fewer months’ time, that volition commencement to adust up,” she said.

India does not needfully person the infrastructure to meaningfully divert h2o close now, but it volition summation that capableness erstwhile there’s little flow. So, that volition person to beryllium connected the docket of the talks if the 2 sides are to travel together,” she added.

‘God has been benignant to america for now’

Following the announcement of a ceasefire, residents connected some sides of the Line of Control successful Kashmir expressed a consciousness of relief, with galore praying for a lasting solution to the Kashmir conflict.

“I was highly anxious astir what was happening,” 25-year-old Rumaisa Jan, a nonmigratory of Srinagar successful Indian-administered Kashmir who has her wedding scheduled adjacent week, told Al Jazeera. “This is the wisest determination taken aft truthful galore lives person been lost. We privation bid and an extremity to each these hostilities.”

Firdous Ahmad Sheikh, who runs a question bureau successful the city, said helium was frustrated by Kashmir being turned into a “battleground” by the 2 countries.

“My lone fearfulness is that things could escalate again successful future. These countries indispensable beryllium unneurotic and find a governmental solution to Kashmir erstwhile and for all. I commune our children don’t person to witnesser specified times again.

“God has been benignant to america for now.”

Pakistani radical flashing triumph signs basal implicit a vessel arsenic they observe aft the ceasefire betwixt Pakistan and India, successful Multan connected May 10, 2025[ Shahid Saeed Mirza/AFP]

In Muzaffarabad, superior of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, residents welcomed the ceasefire, saying they anticipation it volition bring long-awaited alleviation to a portion that has borne the brunt of recurring conflict.

“For us, bid means survival,” said Zulfikar Ali, a resident. “We’ve suffered enough. I’m gladsome that some Pakistan and India person made a sensible decision.”