Explosions heard in Kashmir just hours after Pakistan and India agreed ‘full and immediate’ ceasefire brokered by US
MULTIPLE explosions have been heard in India-controlled Kashmir just hours after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire deal.
Heavy artillery shelling and several drone intrusions into the Indian airspace were reported in many parts of Indian Kashmir.
Blasts were heard in Srinagar and Jammu and projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky over Jammu, similar to the past couple of nights.
Air defence units have reportedly been activated in Srinagar after artillery was reported along the RS Pura IB, Rajouri, and Akhnoor – all parts of Kashmir.
Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, wrote on X: “This is no ceasefire. The air defence units in the middle of Srinagar just opened up.”
It comes just hours after both India and Pakistan agreed to stop trading attacks after a US-brokered ceasefire.
Donald Trump first broke the news, writing: “After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have 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!”
The US was forced to step in after fighting over the border intensified, particularly around the contested Kashmir region.
Pakistan’s foreign minister confirmed the news, writing: “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.”
India’s foreign ministry said the pause in war began at 5pm in India – 1pm UK time – and that military generals from both countries will speak again on Monday.
David Lammy, the UK’s foreign secretary, said: “Today’s ceasefire between India and Pakistan is hugely welcome.
“I urge both parties to sustain this. De-escalation is in everybody’s interest.”
The ceasefire comes after four days of attacks and counter-attacks by both sides that killed at least 60 people and saw thousands of civilians flee their homes along their border as well as in divided Kashmir.
Last night, footage showed the moment India launched a salvo of ballistic missiles targeting Pakistan’s Nur Khan Airbase just outside the capital Islamabad.
Pakistan said two other airbases had also been struck – which prompted them to shut down airspace over the country shortly after.
A Pakistani military spokesperson warned: “Now just wait for our response.”
A few hours later, the Pakistani military posted a video showing a missile launch targeting Indian military installations.
The Indian foreign ministry confirmed that the strikes caused “limited damage” to several military bases.
The old foes have been clashing since India struck several areas that it described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan on Wednesday in retaliation for a deadly terrorist attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir last month.
India blames Pakistan for the attack — a charge Islamabad denies.
In response, India launched “Operation Sindoor” on Wednesday, blitzing nine targets across Pakistan and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir.
Among them was the headquarters of terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), where India claims to have killed Abdul Rauf Azhar— a top JeM commander and the man linked to the beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002.
“India has killed the brutal terrorist assassin Abdul Rauf Azhar, whose psychopathic beheading of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002 we all remember,” said former US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.
“Justice has been served.”
Pakistan has yet to confirm his death.
Islamabad also accused India of striking civilian targets – a claim which New Delhi has denied, saying they launched “precision strikes” targeting terrorist infrastructure.
However, multiple social media videos were found to have been posted from these locations, Sky News reports.
The Pakistani Defence Minister also issued a chilling nuclear warning: “If they aggravate this then if a chance of war arises in which there is a sign of nuclear option being used on both sides, then the responsibility for that will be on India.”
India struck back diplomatically, branding Pakistan the “epicentre of global terrorism.”
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said: “I don’t need to remind the audience where bin Laden was found.”
How nuclear war could kill 125 million?
By James Halpin, Foreign News Reporter
INDIA and Pakistan are being urged to step back from armageddon as a nuclear war between the two rivals could kill 125million people.
The fighting neighbours are trading rocket and artillery attacks in an overnight blitz, leaving dozens dead and fears of all-out conflict.
Now, fears are abound that fighting could escalate to the use of nuclear weapons and kill tens of millions.
Peace campaigners like the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons are “gravely concerned” and have called for the two sides to step back from the brink.
And Colonel Philip Ingram, a former British Army commander, said the West will be particularly nervous about a nuclear conflict.
Ingram told The Sun: “Western intelligence in particular will be focused on the readiness and the outloading of nuclear stocks inside both Pakistan and India and monitoring what’s happening to them very closely indeed.
“The worrying thing about these two nations is that the tensions are very real.
“The nuclear weapons are not there to protect them against attack from China or Russia or anyone else. It’s focused purely on each other.”
Ingram said escalation to using nuclear weapons could happen rapidly and powers like the US would step in to try and prevent their use.
He said: “The US Secretary of State, flying into India and Pakistan, would carry out shuttle diplomacy between the two.”
But that might not be enough to overcome the animosity between the two enemies and their desire to escalate the conflict.
Xiaodon Liang, a Senior Policy Analyst, Nuclear Weapons Policy and Disarmament, at Arms Control Association also said the primary concern should be the possibility of a battlefield use escalating to “strategic nuclear exchanges”.
Liang said: “Pakistan has made very clear that it will use nuclear weapons to prevent a full-scale Indian invasion of its territory, and the potential for uncontrollable escalation is part of what makes every crisis between India and Pakistan particularly dangerous.”
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