PTI
New Delhi
Pakistan violated the bilateral understanding reached on Saturday afternoon to immediately stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, government sources said.
This came hours after India announced the understanding following four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries teetering on the edge of full scale war.
The sources said firing from the Pakistani side was reported in Akhnoor sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Drones were also seen in the Pir Panjal area.
Defence sources said drones came in and firing occurred earlier, but “no firing is happening along the line of control now”.
In a late night media briefing, foreign secretary Vikram Misri called upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with “seriousness and responsibility”.
The armed forces have been given instructions to deal strongly with any instances of repetition of the violations of the border along the international border as well as the line of control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
“For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan,” he said.
“This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today,” Misri said.
“The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations and we take very very serious note of these violations,” he said.
The armed forces are maintaining a strong vigil on the situation, the foreign secretary said.
“We call upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with seriousness and responsibility,”
Misri added.
The decision to stop military action by India and Pakistan was first made public by US President Donald Trump in a surprise announcement in a social media post while claiming that the talks between the two sides were “mediated” by the United States after which “India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire”.
Top government sources, however, clearly said the outcome was the result of a direct engagement between the Indian and Pakistani sides and that Islamabad agreed to it with “no pre-conditions, no pos- conditions and no links to other issues”.
In a short announcement after Trump’s remarks, Misri said the directors general of military operations of India and Pakistan agreed on the understanding during a call this afternoon.
“The Director General of Military Operations of Pakistan called the Director General of Military Operations of India at 1535 hours IST earlier today,” Misri told the media at around 6 pm.
“It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from 1700 hours Indian Standard Time today,” he said.
Earlier, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio termed it a US-brokered ceasefire while commending Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif on “their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace”.
The ceasefire came hours after India and Pakistan attacked each other’s military facilities, dangerously escalating the ongoing conflict.
“Congratulations to both countries on using common sense and great intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump added.
The announcement by Trump came after Rubio spoke to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Pakistan Army chief Gen Asim Munir.
“Over the past 48 hours, Vice President Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and national security advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik,” Rubio said.
In New Delhi, government sources said the stoppage of firing and military action between India and Pakistan was worked out directly between the two countries.
Pakistan DGMO initiated call this afternoon, after which discussions took place and understanding reached, they said.
In Islamabad, Pakistan’s Ishaq Dar confirmed the ceasefire with immediate effect.
“Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect. Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity!” Dar said in a post on X.
Giving the details, he said that due to hectic diplomacy which had been going throughout the day, the military channel of the hotline between the two countries was activated and officials got in contact and “this thing happened”.
Soon after the announcement of the ceasefire, Pakistan said it was opening its airspace for all kinds of traffic.
“All airports in the country are available for normal flight operations. Passengers are requested to contact the relevant airline for the latest schedule of their flights,” the Pakistan Airports Authority said.
Pakistan’s airspace remained closed for a certain duration and routes due to the tension with India, which hampered regular air traffic, resulting in inconvenience for passengers.
