Pakistan and India accuse each other of violating ceasefire hours after reaching the deal

ISLAMABAD — India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire Saturday after talks to end the most serious military confrontation between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades, but accused each other of violating the deal just hours later.

The ceasefire had been expected to bring a swift end to weeks of escalating clashes, including missile and drone strikes, triggered by the mass shooting of tourists last month that India blames on Pakistan, which denies the charge. But multiple explosions were heard in two large cities of Indian-controlled Kashmir hours after the countries agreed to the deal.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said late Saturday that “there had been repeated violations of the understanding arrived [at] between the two countries” on ceasing fire and accused Pakistan of breaching the agreement.

“We call upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with seriousness and responsibility,” he said at a news conference in New Delhi. Misri said the Indian army was “retaliating” for what he called a “border intrusion.”

In Islamabad, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry blamed Indian forces for initiating the ceasefire violation. The ministry said Pakistan remains committed to the agreement and its forces were handling the situation with responsibility and restraint.

“We believe that any issues in the smooth implementation of the ceasefire should be addressed through communication at appropriate levels,” the ministry said.

The first word of the truce came from President Trump, who posted on his Truth Social platform that India and Pakistan had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire after U.S.-led talks. “Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a speech Saturday that his country agreed to the ceasefire in the larger interest of peace in the region and hoped all the outstanding issues with India, including the long-running dispute over the Kashmir region, would be resolved through peaceful dialogue.

Misri said the head of military operations from both countries spoke Saturday afternoon and agreed “that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, and in the air and sea.”

Hours after the agreement, however, residents reported hearing explosions in Srinagar and Jammu in Indian-controlled Kashmir, which were followed by blackouts in the two cities. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, said in a post on social media: “What the hell just happened to the ceasefire? Explosions heard across Srinagar!!!”

Toward a broader agreement

Conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir is not rare, with the two countries having engaged in three wars and smaller clashes and skirmishes since gaining independence from British India in 1947.

The ceasefire in the latest hostilities came after the countries fired volleys of cross-border missile strikes Saturday, when India said it targeted Pakistani air bases after Islamabad fired several high-speed missiles at military and civilian infrastructure in Punjab state. Pakistan said it responded with retaliatory strikes.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he and Vice President JD Vance had engaged with senior officials from both countries over the past 48 hours, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Sharif, India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir.

Rubio said the two governments agreed to “start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.”

Though Pakistanis had initially celebrated their army’s retaliation, they were later jubilant about the truce, saying it was a moment of national pride and relief after days of tension.

In Islamabad, Zubaida Bibi expressed her joy at the restoration of peace with India.

“War brings nothing but suffering,” she said. “We are happy that calm is returning. It feels like Eid to me. We have won.”

India hits Pakistani air bases

Tensions have soared since the gun massacre at a popular tourist site in Indian-controlled Kashmir left 26 civilians dead, mostly Indian Hindu tourists, on April 22.

Before the ceasefire was announced Saturday, India’s military held a news briefing in New Delhi, saying Pakistan targeted health facilities and schools at its three air bases in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

“Befitting reply has been given to Pakistani actions,” said Indian Col. Sofiya Qureshi.

Indian missiles Saturday targeted the Nur Khan air base in Pakistan’s garrison city of Rawalpindi, near the capital, Islamabad; Murid air base in Chakwal city and Rafiqui air base in the Jhang district of eastern Punjab province, according to Pakistan’s military spokesman.

Pakistan’s military said it used medium-range Fateh missiles to hit an Indian missile storage facility and air bases in the cities of Pathankot and Udhampur. Army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif said the country’s air force assets were safe after the Indian assault.

The Associated Press could not independently verify all the actions attributed to Pakistan or India.

Blasts in Indian-controlled Kashmir

After the announcement of Pakistani retaliation, residents in Indian-controlled Kashmir said they heard loud explosions at multiple places, including the major cities of Srinagar and Jammu and the garrison town of Udhampur.

“Explosions that we are hearing today are different from the ones we heard the last two nights during drone attacks,” said Shesh Paul Vaid, the region’s former top police official and a Jammu resident. “It looks like a war here.”

Vaid said explosions were heard from areas with military bases, adding that it appeared army sites were targeted. Residents living near Srinagar city’s airport, which is also an air base, said they were rattled by the explosions and booming sound of jets.

“I was already awake, but the explosions jolted my kids out of their sleep. They started crying,” said Srinagar resident Mohammed Yasin, adding that he heard at least two explosions.

Buildings were destroyed or damaged in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where powerful blasts ripped off roofs, windows and walls and left homes riddled with holes.

Villagers and rescuers in a district of Pakistani-controlled Kashmir sifted through the rubble of homes hit by overnight Indian shelling on Friday as people carried the dead. Others surveyed the ruins.

Abdullah, the top elected official in Indian-controlled Kashmir, welcomed the ceasefire. He said: “Had it happened two or three days earlier, we might have avoided the bloodshed and the loss of precious lives.”

Butt, Hussain and Roy write for the Associated Press and reported from Islamabad, Srinagar and New Delhi, respectively. AP writers Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; Babar Dogar in Lahore, Pakistan; Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.