U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “complete and immediate ceasefire” after four days of strikes and counterstrikes on each other’s military targets.
He wrote about it on the social media platform Truth Social.
“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,” Trump wrote.
According to Reuters, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister also stated that both countries had agreed to a ceasefire “with immediate effect,” and India’s Ministry of External Affairs reported it would begin at 5:00 PM Indian time.
The sudden announcement came on a day when fears escalated that the countries’ nuclear arsenals could come into play, as the Pakistani military said that the highest civil and military body overseeing Pakistan’s nuclear weapons would meet.
However, later Pakistan’s Defense Minister stated that no such meeting was planned.
At the same time, officials on both sides showed readiness to de-escalate following daytime exchanges, as the total number of civilian casualties on both sides rose to 66.
The fighting began on Wednesday when India struck what it called “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistani Kashmir and in Pakistan itself, two weeks after 26 people were killed in an attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir. Pakistan rejected India’s accusations of involvement in the tourist attack. Since Wednesday, the two countries have been exchanging cross-border fire and shelling, as well as launching drones and missiles into each other’s airspace.
The two nations have been in conflict over Kashmir since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Hindu-majority India and Muslim Pakistan both claim the region in full but control it in parts.
Since then, they have fought three wars — two of them over Kashmir — and have clashed multiple times.
