A fragile ceasefire held between Pakistan and India on Sunday, following hours of overnight clashes between the nuclear-armed neighbours, as US President Donald Trump stated his intention to work towards a resolution regarding Kashmir.
The two nations, which emerged from British colonial rule in 1947, have engaged in three wars — two of which were over the Kashmir region.
Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan both administer parts of Kashmir but claim the entire territory.
New Delhi accuses Islamabad of supporting an insurgency in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that began in 1989 and has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. It also blames Pakistan-based groups for attacks elsewhere in India — an accusation consistently denied by the government in Islamabad.
Pakistan maintains that it only provides moral, political, and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people.
Recently, the long-standing rivals were involved in intense firing for four days, marking the worst such episode in nearly three decades, with missiles and drones exchanged between their military installations, leading to dozens of fatalities.
A ceasefire agreement was reached through diplomatic efforts and pressure from the United States, but within hours, artillery fire was reported in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the epicentre of much of the conflict.
Blasts from air-defence systems reverberated in cities near the border during a blackout, echoing the previous two evenings, according to authorities, residents, and Reuters witnesses.
Late on Saturday, India reportedly violated the understanding reached to cease firing. In response, Pakistan affirmed its commitment to the ceasefire and attributed the violations to India.
By dawn, the fighting and explosions reported overnight had subsided on both sides of the border, according to Reuters witnesses.
Power was restored in most areas along India’s border towns following a blackout the previous night.
Trump commended the leaders of both countries for agreeing to halt the aggression.
Screenshot of Trump’s post. — Truth Social
“While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great nations. Additionally, I will work with you both to see if… a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir,” Trump stated in a post on Truth Social.
In the border city of Amritsar, home to the Golden Temple revered by Sikhs, a morning siren signalling the resumption of normal activities brought a sense of relief, and people were seen returning to the streets.
The recent bout of fighting commenced on Wednesday, two weeks after an attack targeting Hindus in IIOJK’s Pahalgam resulted in the deaths of 26 men.
“Ever since the day terrorists attacked people in Pahalgam we have been shutting our shops very early and there was an uncertainty. I am happy that at least there will be no bloodshed on both sides,” Satvir Singh Alhuwalia, 48, a shopkeeper in Amritsar, told Reuters.
Officials in Pakistan reported some firing in Bhimber in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) overnight but no incidents elsewhere, and there were no casualties.
The combined death toll in the recent skirmishes has reached nearly 70, officials have stated.
“More than me, my family is happy because my children and wife have been calling me every hour to check on me. Thank God the ceasefire happened,” Guruman Singh, a security guard in Amritsar, told Reuters.
