A US-brokered ceasefire between India and Pakistan is largely holding, despite the two sides accusing each other of violations in the hours after it was signed.
India and Pakistan agreed to an immediate cessation of hostilities on May 10, after the biggest flare-up of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors in years raised fears of a full-scale war.
US President Donald Trump announced on May 10 that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "complete and immediate ceasefire" after a "long night of talks" brokered by the US, which was confirmed by officials from the two countries.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar immediately confirmed Trump's announcement of a ceasefire, in a conflict that erupted after an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir two weeks ago that killed 26 Hindu tourists. Indian Foreign Minister Vikram Misri also said that a senior Pakistani military official had called his Indian counterpart this afternoon and that they had agreed "that both sides will cease all fire and military action on land, in the air and at sea."
Despite ceasefire talks, India and Pakistan accused each other of violating the agreement in the following hours.
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Misri said Islamabad had repeatedly violated the agreement, and explosions were heard in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir, according to the BBC.
"In the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the agreement we reached earlier tonight," Misri said, adding that Indian forces "have been instructed to deal with violations of the agreement firmly."
Pakistan's foreign ministry accused India of violations and said Pakistani forces were "handling the situation with responsibility and restraint."
However, the situation appeared to calm down later on May 11th, and reports indicate that the ceasefire is largely holding.
In the northern town of Kupwara, in Indian-administered Kashmir, near the Line of Control - the de facto border with the Pakistan-controlled part of the disputed region - residents expressed cautious relief.
"We are happy to see this," local resident Anas Khan told Reuters. "This is a good thing. Nobody wants war. No solution can be found through war. Only through dialogue."
Another resident, Nazram Ali, described the aftermath of the past few days.
"We faced a lot of problems due to cross-border shelling," they said. "From children to the elderly, everyone stayed in their homes during the day, and at night they moved to different villages because of the shooting. We are very happy that a ceasefire has been achieved."
International leaders have also welcomed this progress.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the governments of India and Pakistan had agreed "to begin talks on a broad range of issues in a neutral venue". In a post on X.com on May 10, Rubio said he and Vice President J.D. Vance had been in contact with senior Indian and Pakistani officials over the past 48 hours.
United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres considers the ceasefire agreement "a positive step and hopes that the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to resolving the broader, long-standing issues between the two countries," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
The ceasefire followed weeks of escalating violence that began after a deadly attack on April 22 in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists. India blamed the attack on Pakistan-based militants, but the Pakistani government denied any connection.
The incident sparked a series of attacks, including reported missile and drone strikes, cross-border shelling, and cyberattacks.
India and Pakistan, which gained independence from Great Britain in 1947, fought full-scale wars in 1948, 1965 and 1971, and a limited conflict in 1999. The central issue remains the Kashmir Valley, which India considers an integral part of it, while Pakistan sees it as an "unfinished agenda for the partition" of the subcontinent.
Kashmir is divided between its three nuclear-armed neighbors, with India controlling about 45 percent, Pakistan about 35 percent, and China - after a brief war with India in 1962 - the remaining 20 percent.
According to reports from Radio Mašala, a program of Radio Free Europe, as well as AP, Reuters and BBC.
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