NEW DELHI: India and Pakistan agreed to an immediate ceasefire on Saturday, following a sharp escalation in cross-border tensions triggered by the deadly April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam. The breakthrough came after what the US President Donald Trump called "intense diplomatic engagement" over the past two days. The tension began when Pakistan-backed terrorists killed 26 civilians in Pahalgam.
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- Just hours after the ceasefire agreement, J&K chief minister
Omar Abdullah questioned the truce deal as Srinagar was jolted by loud explosions on Saturday evening. “What the hell just happened to the ceasefire? Explosions heard across Srinagar!!! This is no ceasefire. The air defence units in the middle of Srinagar just opened up,” Abdullah posted on X. - Earlier, the US had taken credit for the ceasefire, as according to CNN, it had been told that it was Vice President JD Vance who finally called Prime Minister Modi "at noon Eastern time on Friday" to urge him to get India to talk directly to Pakistan "to consider options available for de-escalation". According to CNN, the officials said Vance first took the intelligence to Trump and then called PM Modi to tell him that the US believed that if hostilities continued over the weekend, there was "a high probability of a dramatic escalation".
- Sirens blared and explosions echoed across border states on Saturday evening as Pakistan once again launched drones into Indian airspace. Loud blasts were reported in Srinagar, while air raid sirens went off in Udhampur and other parts of the Jammu region.
- Blackouts were enforced in several areas across Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Rajasthan as a precaution amid what marks another Pakistani drone intrusion in a series of nighttime provocations.
- An alert sentry at Nagrota Military Station thwarted a possible intrusion with timely action, triggering a brief exchange of fire and sustaining minor injuries, the Army's White Knight Corps said. A search operation was also launched for the suspect.
- Foreign secretary Vikram Misri held a press briefing after the ceasefire violation and said: " For the last few hours, this understanding is being violated by Pakistan. The Indian Army is retaliating and dealing with this border intrusion. This intrusion is extremely condemnable and Pakistan is responsible for it. We believe that Pakistan should understand this situation properly and take appropriate action immediately to stop this intrusion."
- Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi had a phone conversation with Indian National Security Advisor Doval. As per Chinese foreign ministry, "Doval said that the Pahalgam terrorist attack caused serious casualties among Indian personnel and that India needed to take counter-terrorism actions. War was not India's choice and was not in the interests of any party. India and Pakistan would be committed to a ceasefire and look forward to restoring
regional peace and stability as soon as possible." - External affairs minister Jaishankar said after the ceasefire that India and Pakistan had reached an understanding to stop "firing and military action." He further reiterated New Delhi's "uncompromising stance" against terrorism in all its forms.
- After the ceasefire violation, the government gave the Indian armed forces instructions to deal strongly with any instances of repetition of the violations along the LoC and international border.
- Amritsar was placed under a red alert early Sunday morning following heightened security concerns, with district authorities urging residents to remain indoors. The situation in Jammu city remained normal on Sunday, a day after intense shelling from Pakistan. No drones, firing and shelling were reported during the intervening night of May 10-11. The situation was also normal in Poonch area after no drones, firing and shelling were reported during the night.
