Pakistan, India agree on ceasefire

Celina Ali

Islamabad: Pakistan and India on Saturday said they have agreed to a ceasefire after four days of escalating cross-border military strikes.
The news was announced on social media by US President Donald Trump who said the “full and immediate ceasefire” had happened after US mediation.

In the last few days there has been a series of drone and missile attacks since Delhi launched attacks against Islamabad over the killing of Indian tourists in occupied Kashmir. Pakistan had denied any involvement.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said: “Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Speaking after the ceasefire announcement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said India and Pakistan had agreed to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.
He said he and US Vice-President JD Vance spent the prior 48 hours with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including their respective Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said he welcomed “all efforts to de-escalate the conflict”.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Britain has been “engaged” in talks for “some days”, with Foreign Secretary David Lammy speaking to both sides.

“I’m pleased to see today that there’s a ceasefire,” he said. “The task now is to make sure that that is enduring and is lasting.”

The recent fighting came after two weeks of tension following the killing of 26 tourists in the resort town of Pahalgam.
Pakistan said it had taken retaliatory action for Indian missile strikes on airbases at Rawalpindi, Chakwal and Shorkot.