New Delhi/Washington, May 11: India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries teetering on the edge of full scale war.
Barely hours after this development first announced by US President Donald Trump who claimed that the two countries have agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after US mediation, Jammu and Kashmir was shaken by a series of drone sightings in the night followed by explosions, prompting security personnel to engage air defence systems to bring them down.
Top government sources, however, clearly said that the bilateral understanding was the result of a direct engagement between the Indian and Pakistani sides and that Islamabad agreed to it with “no pre conditions, no post conditions and no links to other issues.”
India late in the night accused Pakistan of breaching the understanding.
At a media briefing, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri called upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with “seriousness and responsibility”.
“For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan,” he said.
“This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today.”
“The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations and we take very very serious note of these violations,” Misri said.
The decision that India and Pakistan reached an understanding was first made public by President Trump in a surprise announcement in a post on 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,” he said.
“Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump added.
In a short announcement after Trump’s remarks, Foreign Secretary Misri said the directors general of military operations of India and Pakistan agreed on the understanding during a call this afternoon.
“The Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan called the Director General of Military Operations of India at 1535 hours IST earlier today,” Misri told the media at around 6 pm.
“It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from 1700 hours Indian Standard Time today,” he said.
The foreign secretary said instructions have been given on both sides to give effect to the understanding and that the DGMOs of the two sides will talk again on May 12 at 1200 hours.
The understanding by India and Pakistan on stopping military actions came hours after their militaries targeted each other’s installations in a phase that marked the most severe confrontation following India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ launched on May 7 targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir(PoK). The operation was launched in a strong retaliation to Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 in which 26 people, mostly tourists, were killed.
The India-Pakistan decision came following diplomatic overdrive by the Group of Seven (G7) and several countries including the US, China and Saudi Arabia, urging both sides to deescalate the conflict.
The sources cited above said India’s punitive measures announced against Pakistan including putting the Indus Waters Treaty in abeyance following the Pahalgam attack will remain in place.
India announced the measures on April 23, a day after the terror attack.
Terrorism will not go unpunished and India’s resolve on terrorism remains firm, the sources added.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said there was no decision to hold talks on any other issue at any other place.
This statement came after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said “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.”
“Over the past 48 hours, Vice President 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,” he said.
In his reaction, Jaishankar said India and Pakistan have worked out an understanding on stoppage of firing and military action.
“India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so.”
Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar while confirming the ceasefire said Islamabad has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Pakistani military’s hostilities against India by targeting civilian areas and military installations came after ‘Operation Sindoor’ was launched. India also responded to the Pakistani actions firmly.
The fresh military offensives by the two sides since last night marked the most severe confrontations following India’s May 7 action.
Earlier in the day, India said it had hit eight military installations in Pakistan in response to the neighbouring country’s “provocative” action of targeting its defence infrastructure and civilian areas using drones, long-range weapons and fighter jets.
The Pakistani installations hit included a weapons depot and control centres, India’s military said .
Pakistan is also moving its troops into forward areas, indicating an “offensive intent”, to further escalate the situation, an Indian military spokesperson said. India, stressed Coloner Sofiya Qureshi, remains in a high state of operational readiness.
As fears of a larger military conflict loomed, Qureshi said Indian armed forces reiterate their commitment to non-escalation, provided it is reciprocated by the Pakistani military.
She was addressing a special press briefing along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Misri.
Misri said India has responded to the Pakistani military’s “provocative” and “escalatory” actions in a measured manner and that Islamabad has resorted to a wanton campaign of targeting innocent people and civilian infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab.
Five persons, including a senior J-K government official and a two-year-old girl, were killed as intense mortar shelling and drone strikes by Pakistan hit Jammu region early Saturday, officials said. With this, the death toll due to shelling in the recent days rose to 24.
Raj Kumar Thapa, Additional District Development Commissioner, Rajouri, and his two staff members were seriously injured when an artillery shell hit his official residence in Rajouri town, the officials said.
They were rushed to the Government Medical College where Thapa succumbed to his injuries, they said.
Residents of Jammu city and other major towns of the division woke up to air raid sirens and deafening sounds of explosions around 5 am, while the border residents spent a sleepless night in the wake of intense shelling from across the border. (PTI)
