Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday the military had given “a befitting response” to India after the worst confrontations in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
“Today, we have given India a befitting response and avenged the blood of innocent lives,” he said in a statement issued by his office, after speaking with all political parties.
It looked like Pakistan was hinting at the end of the conflict.
A few hours later, US President Donald Trump announced that India and Pakistan have agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire.
Taking to Truth Social, Trump posted: “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!”
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Earlier, Secretary of State Marcio Rubio tweeted: Over the past 48 hours, @VP 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 that 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.
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Pakistan’s deputy prime minister, Ishaq Dar, confirmed the news by tweeting: “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!”
India, Pakistan Launch Multiple Attacks
Pakistan launched counterattacks against India on Saturday after three of its air bases were struck overnight, and as the conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours spiralled towards a full-blown war that sparked calls against “miscalculation”.
Indian Wing Commander Vyomika Singh told a briefing Saturday that there were “several high-speed missile attacks” on air bases, but “limited damage” to equipment.
Pakistan earlier accused India of targeting three of its bases with missiles — including one in Rawalpindi, some 10 kilometres (six miles) from the capital, Islamabad.
Authorities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir said 11 civilians were killed by Indian shelling overnight.
In a live broadcast aired by state television in the middle of the night, Pakistan’s military spokesman, Ahmed Sharif, warned: “Now you just wait for our response.”
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Later Saturday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told senior officials, “We have given India a befitting response and avenged the blood of our innocent citizens”, his office said in a statement.
The clashes, involving fighter jets, missiles, drones, and artillery, are the worst in decades and have killed more than 60 civilians.
The fighting was touched off by an attack last month in the Indian-administered side of disputed Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men, which Delhi blamed on Islamabad.
India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba — a UN-designated terrorist organisation — of carrying out the attack, but Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for an independent probe.
The countries have fought several wars over the Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.
Avoid Miscalculation
In a series of calls to senior officials in both countries, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged them to restore direct communication to “avoid miscalculation”.
Rubio “emphasized that both sides need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation”, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.
For the first known time since the conflict erupted, Rubio also spoke with Pakistan’s army chief, considered the country’s key powerbroker.
China also made a similar appeal as did the G7 group of industrialised nations.
The overnight Indian attack on the Rawalpindi air base could be heard from Islamabad.
The air base is used to receive foreign dignitaries, and Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir had departed just hours earlier.
Separately, AFP journalists reported loud explosions in Srinagar, the capital of India-administered Kashmir.
A police officer speaking on condition of anonymity said the Awantipora military airbase outside the city had been struck.
“Pakistan’s blatant escalation with drone strikes and other munitions continues along our western border,” the army said on X.
The army said “multiple enemy drones were spotted flying over” a military cantonment in Amritsar in Punjab, a state adjoining Kashmir, and were “instantly engaged and destroyed by our air defence units.”
Rush To Leave
In Jammu, Indian-run Kashmir’s second biggest city, people scrambled to board a special train dispatched to ferry people out.
“There are loud explosions the entire night,” said Karan Varma, a 41-year-old mason.
“There is no choice but to leave”.
The overwhelming majority were poor labourers from other parts of India seeking to return to their homes.
On Friday, the Indian army said it had “repulsed” waves of Pakistani attacks using drones and other munitions overnight, and gave a “befitting reply”.
Pakistan’s military spokesman denied that Islamabad was carrying out such attacks and vowed revenge for India’s initial strikes on Wednesday.
Pakistani military sources said its forces had shot down 77 drones, with debris of many incursions seen by AFP in cities across the country.
Pakistan’s military early Saturday claimed New Delhi’s forces had bombed their own territory in Amritsar, without providing evidence.
Armed groups have stepped up operations in Kashmir since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked its limited autonomy and took the state under direct rule by New Delhi.
The countries have fought several wars over the Muslim-majority Kashmir, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.
The conflict has caused major disruptions to international aviation, with airlines having to cancel flights or use longer routes that do not overfly the India-Pakistan frontier.
India has closed 32 airports, while schools in areas close to the border on both sides were shuttered, affecting millions of children.
Pakistan’s aviation authority said its airspace would be closed until noon Sunday (0700 GMT).
With Inputs From AFP
