The foreign ministers of India and Pakistan confirmed on Saturday that their countries had agreed an immediate ceasefire, bringing an end to weeks of conflict between the nuclear-armed rivals.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the military chiefs of both countries spoke Saturday afternoon to conclude the deal.
“It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, and in the air and sea. Instructions have been given on both sides to give effect to this understanding.”
The top military officials would speak again on May 12, Misri added.
The deal follows weeks of clashes that were triggered by a gun massacre of more than two dozen tourists last month that India blamed on Pakistan. At least 43 people were killed in India and Pakistan on Wednesday after India launched missile strikes on its longtime adversary on Tuesday, sparking an exchange of artillery fire between the two countries.
The recent skirmishes have been the most serious confrontation between the two nations in decades and have included missile strikes, drone attacks and artillery fire that have left dozens of civilians dead on both sides.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said some three dozen countries were involved in the diplomacy that led to the ceasefire in comments to Geo news while an Indian government source said the ceasefire had been negotiated “directly between” Islamabad and New Delhi.
“The stoppage of firing and military action between India and Pakistan was worked out directly between the two countries,” the source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
US President Donald Trump earlier announced the deal on his Truth Social platform and credited US mediation.
“Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Indian officials and Pakistani army chief Asim Munir on Saturday and urged both parties to find ways to de-escalate, according to a State Department spokesperson. Rubio said the ceasefire agreement followed negotiations involving US Vice President J.D. Vance, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif. AFP
