India and Pakistan, nuclear-armed neighbors, agreed to a ceasefire on Monday after pressure and diplomacy from the United States, heralding a sudden end to a conflict that had appeared to be escalating at an alarming rate, Reuters reported.
But within hours, violations were reported from the main cities of Indian-administered Kashmir, the territory that bore the brunt of the four-day fighting.
Explosions were heard in Srinagar and Jammu, and missiles and flashes were seen in the night sky over Jammu, similar to events the previous evening, according to authorities, residents and Reuters witnesses.
Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri said Pakistan had violated an agreement the two countries reached earlier in the day.
"We call on Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation seriously and responsibly," Misri said at a media briefing.
Pakistani Information Minister Ataullah Tarar told Geo News television: "There has been no ceasefire violation so far."
A Pakistani military spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters reports that the fighting between the old South Asian foes was the worst in nearly three decades and threatened to erupt into a full-scale war in one of the world's most densely populated regions.
There were brief fears that nuclear arsenals could be on the scene after the Pakistani military announced that the top body overseeing its nuclear weapons would meet.
But the defense minister said no such meeting was scheduled, hours after a night of heavy fighting in which the two countries targeted military bases, and the combined civilian death toll rose to 66.
US President Donald Trump announced earlier today that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "complete and immediate ceasefire" after a "long night of talks" brokered by the US.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump praised both countries for using "common sense and great intelligence."
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Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar immediately confirmed Trump's announcement of a ceasefire, in a conflict that arose after an attack in Indian Kashmir two weeks ago in which 26 Hindu tourists were killed.
"Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect. Pakistan has always sought peace and security in the region, without compromising its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Dar stated.
Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri also confirmed that the Director General of Military Operations for Pakistan called his Indian counterpart on the afternoon of May 10 and that the two sides agreed that both sides would cease all firing on land, in the air and at sea.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also confirmed the ceasefire between India and Pakistan on X Network, stating that he had spoken with senior Indian and Pakistani officials in the past 48 hours, and that the talks included US Vice President J.D. Vance, the Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan, Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif.
"I am pleased to announce that the governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and the start of talks on a wide range of issues at a neutral venue," he wrote.
"We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif for their wisdom, prudence and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace," said Rubio, who has held regular talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar since late April.
Trump said earlier this week that the rising tensions were a disgrace and that he wanted them to stop, while US Vice President J.D. Vance said that a war between the two countries "would not be our thing."
The ceasefire agreement came after the two nuclear-armed neighboring states continued to exchange attacks from the morning hours of May 10, killing around 7 civilians since May 50.
Indian forces struck targets across Pakistani Kashmir and Pakistan's Punjab province on May 6, in what India called "precision strikes" against "terrorists," following an attack in Indian Kashmir that killed 26 Hindu tourists.
India had previously said that two of the three suspects in the attack were Pakistani nationals, but had not provided any detailed evidence. Pakistan has denied any involvement in the killings.
India and Pakistan, which gained independence from Britain in 1947, have fought three full-scale wars in 1948, 1965, and 1971, and a limited conflict in 1999. The central issue remains the Kashmir Valley, which India considers its Atot Ang (integral part), while Pakistan sees it as an "unfinished agenda for the partition" of the Indian subcontinent.
Kashmir is divided between three neighboring nuclear-armed countries, with India controlling about 45 percent, Pakistan about 35 percent, and China - after a brief war with India in 1962 - occupying the remaining 20 percent.
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