India and Pakistan agree immediate ceasefire

Both India and Pakistan confirmed news of the ceasefire following US mediation after days of cross-border strikes. It was the most serious increase in hostilities so far in a conflict triggered by a gun massacre in Kashmir last month.

Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Saturday that his country would consider de-escalation if India stopped any further attacks. He said Saudi Arabia and also Turkey played an important role in facilitating the deal, which came into effect at 4.30 pm local time.It has fully reopened its airspace for all types of flights.Indian Wing Commander Vyomika Singh told a news conference in New Delhi that her country was committed to “non-escalation, provided the Pakistan side reciprocates.”On his Truth Social platform, US President Donald Trump said he was pleased to announce that India and Pakistan had 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!” read his post. On Saturday, a Pakistani official said at least 11 people were killed and 56 others wounded in what he said was Indian shelling in several areas near the Line of Control in Kashmir. The country's prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said Pakistan had responded after India’s overnight missile attacks at air bases and other places.India denies hitting civilian targets.Gunmen shot and killed at least 26 tourists at Pahalgam resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir on 22 April, which was a major shift in a regional conflict that has largely spared civilians. The unidentified gunmen also wounded 17 other people. A group called Kashmir Resistance, which India accuses Pakistan of backing, claimed the attack.The fresh round of confrontation was yet another escalation of a decades-long conflict over the disputed Kashmir region that began after a bloody partition of India in 1947.