BREAKING NEWSDonald Trump says India and Pakistan have agreed to ceasefire after both sides boasted of fresh military strikes

BREAKING NEWSDonald Trump says India and Pakistan have agreed to ceasefire after both sides boasted of fresh military strikes

Donald Trump says India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire just hours after both sides boasted of fresh military strikes.

The two nuclear-armed neighbours had also traded drone attacks and artillery fire after a gun massacre last month that India blames on Pakistan.

In a post on social media platform Truth Social, the US President wrote: ‘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!’

Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan Ishaq Dar said the two sides have agreed to the truce with immediate effect.

He added: ‘Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity!’

India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed both India and Pakistan would ‘stop all firing and military action on land, air and sea’ with effect from 5pm local time.

Earlier Pakistan fired high-speed missiles at ‘multiple targets’ across India after it accused its neighbour of attacking air bases.


Donald Trump says India and Pakistan have agreed to a ceasefire after both sides boasted of fresh military strikes


Image appears to show Pakistan’s military firing a missile at targets in India


Indian Civil Defense volunteers and security personnel stand outside a damaged house after cross-border shelling from Pakistan in Jammu on May 10

India said it had responded by targeting military bases in Pakistan – in the latest escalation of the conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Pakistan’s military this morning dubbed the operation Bunyan ul Marsoos – meaning unbreakable wall – as it shared a video of a missile being fired on social media.

They claimed it shows a medium-range Fateh One weapon being launched at targets in the Indian states of Gujarat, Punjab and Rajasthan.

At a press briefing, Indian Colonel Sofiya Qureshi also accused Pakistan of targeting health facilities and schools at three air bases in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Five people were killed in the disputed region’s city of Jammu, Indian police have said – with photos showing extensive damage to buildings in the area.

In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, authorities said 13 civilians had been killed and more than 50 injured.

India’s army responded to Pakistan’s actions on X, describing its neighbour’s actions as a ‘blatant escalation with drone strikes and other munitions’.

The country’s military said it had targeted Pakistani military bases and that retaliatory strikes were underway.

The ceasefire comes after foreign ministers of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the US, alongside the high representative of the European Union, said they ‘strongly condemn the egregious terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 and urge maximum restraint from both India and Pakistan’.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he had spoken to counterparts in India and Pakistan as he urged leaders to work towards a ‘sustainable ceasefire’.

Violent clashes between the two countries were sparked after gunmen killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists, in Indian-controlled Kashmir last month.

India has accused Pakistan of being behind the murders, which Islamabad denies.


Residents remove debris from their damaged houses after cross-border shelling along the Line of Control


A residence, damaged by a Pakistan shelling, is seen in Rajouri, along the Line of Control, India


Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party supporters burn an effigy of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an anti-India protest in Multan on May 10


Police officers inspect metal debris, amid hostilities between India and Pakistan

Last night it was reported that Indian warships had moved closer to the Pakistani port of Karachi, putting them within striking distance of the site.

A source within the Indian Armed Forces told The Telegraph: ‘We are alert and ready to counter any threat from the adversary.

‘The movement of the warplanes and other naval assets is for monitoring and deterrence.’

The move, which believed to have started eight days ago, means the ships are now in international waters where they are likely to remain.

Some of the vessels are believed to be holding an aircraft carrier, destroyers, frigates and anti-submarine ships.

Both India and Pakistan hinted this morning they would consider de-escalation after trading strikes.

Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said India was committed to ‘non-escalation, provided the Pakistan side reciprocates.’

Pakistan’s foreign minister responded saying his country would consider de-escalation if India stopped further attacks.

David Lammy has joined G7 ministers in calling for an ‘immediate de-escalation’ between India and Pakistan.

A statement issued on Saturday morning said: ‘We, the G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America and the high representative of the European Union, strongly condemn the egregious terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 and urge maximum restraint from both India and Pakistan.

‘Further military escalation poses a serious threat to regional stability.

‘We are deeply concerned for the safety of civilians on both sides.

‘We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome.

‘We continue to monitor events closely and express our support for a swift and lasting diplomatic resolution.’

‘Indian armed forces remain in a high state of operational readiness,’ she added.


India’s foreign ministry holds a press briefing following the strikes

The Pakistani military said it used medium-range Fateh missiles to target an Indian missile storage facility and airbases in the cities of Pathankot and Udhampur.

The Associated Press could not independently verify all the actions attributed to Pakistan or India.

Army spokesman, Ahmad Sharif, said Pakistan’s air force assets were safe following the strikes, adding that some of the Indian missiles also hit India’s eastern Punjab.

‘This is a provocation of the highest order,’ Sharif said.

It comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir on Friday.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Rubio continued to urge both parties to ‘find ways to deescalate and offered US assistance in starting constructive talks’ in order to avoid future conflicts.

The call for calm came ahead of Saturday’s Indian missile strikes, which targeted Nur Khan air base in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, Murid air base in Chakwal city and Rafiqui air base in the Jhang district of eastern Punjab province, according to Pakistan’s military spokesman.

There was no media access to the air base in Rawalpindi, a densely populated city, and no immediate reports of residents hearing or seeing the strike or its aftermath.

Following the announcement of Pakistani retaliation, residents in Indian-controlled Kashmir said they heard loud explosions at multiple places in the region, including the two big cities of Srinagar and Jammu, and the garrison town of Udhampur.

‘Explosions that we are hearing today are different from the ones we heard the last two nights during drone attacks,’ said Shesh Paul Vaid, the region’s former top police official and Jammu resident. ‘It looks like a war here.’

Vaid said explosions were heard from areas with military bases, adding it appeared that army sites were being targeted.

Srinagar appeared calm early on Saturday, but some residents in neighborhoods close to the city’s airport, which is also an air base, said they were rattled by the explosions and booming sound of fighter jets.

‘I was already awake, but the explosions jolted my kids out of their sleep. They started crying,’ said Srinagar resident Mohammed Yasin, adding he heard at least two explosions.


A resident walks over the debris of his damaged house after cross-border shelling


A damaged car is shown after cross-border shelling from Pakistan, at Jammu town on May 10


Residents walk past explosives, carried by a drone, after it was intercepted by India

Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group for India, said the two countries were at war even if they had not yet labelled it as one.

‘It’s become a remorseless race for military one-upmanship with no apparent strategic end goals from either side,’ said Donthi. ‘With increasing civilian casualties on both sides, finding an exit or off-ramp is going to be challenging.’

India’s army said it destroyed multiple armed Pakistani drones that were spotted flying over a military cantonment in northern Punjab state’s Amritsar city early Saturday.

‘Pakistan’s blatant attempt to violate India’s sovereignty and endanger civilians is unacceptable,’ the statement said.

In Pakistan, the civil aviation authority shut the country’s airports for all flight operations and people in major cities were seen chanting slogans supporting the armed forces.

‘Thank God we have finally responded to Indian aggression,’ said Muhammad Ashraf, who had headed out for breakfast in the eastern city of Lahore.

The Indian army said late Friday that drones were sighted in 26 locations across many areas in Indian states bordering Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir, including Srinagar. It said the drones were tracked and engaged.

‘The situation is under close and constant watch, and prompt action is being taken wherever necessary,’ the statement added.

India and Pakistan have traded strikes and heavy cross-border fire for days, resulting in civilian casualties on both sides.

The Group of Seven nations, or G7, urged ‘maximum restraint’ from India and Pakistan. It warned Friday that further military escalation posed a serious threat to regional stability.

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