By RFE/RL May 12, 2025
Pakistan and India both declared victory in a recent flare-up of violence as a US-mediated cease-fire appeared to largely hold on May 11, with the nuclear-armed neighbors stepping back from a potential full-scale war over the disputed Kashmir region.
Islamabad and New Delhi agreed to an immediate cessation of hostilities, US President Donald Trump and officials from both South Asian countries said on May 10, after a series of tit-for-tat military strikes that claimed dozens of lives.
“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,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence.”
India and Pakistan regularly come close to igniting a catastrophic full-scale war in the tense South Asian region, usually related to the disputed Kashmir region, which is split into Indian- and Pakistani-controlled areas but claim din full by both.
In apparent efforts to reassure their domestic populations, both sides claimed victory in the latest outbreak of violence.
On May 11, New Delhi offered a tally of its claimed success during the flare-up in violence, saying its military strikes into Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan earlier in the week killed more than 100 militants.
Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, director general of Indian military operations, claimed that among those killed were prominent militant leaders.
“We achieved total surprise,” Ghai told a New Delhi news conference, describing Pakistan’s response as “erratic and rattled.”
Meanwhile, Pakistani Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif told a news briefing that Islamabad’s forces on May 10 hit 26 Indian military installations in response to missile strikes launched by New Delhi.
Earlier, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the nation for its “victory” over India, while at the same time expressing desires for meaningful dialogue with India and for resolution of all issues dividing the bitter rivals.
“This is a victory not just for the armed forces, but for the whole nation,” Sharif said.
Despite talk of the cease-fire, India and Pakistan accused each other of violations in the following hours, although reports of such actions were rare late on May 11.
International leaders welcomed the cease-fire breakthrough.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the governments of India and Pakistan had agreed “to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.”
In a post on X on May 10, Rubio said he and Vice President JD Vance had been in contact with senior Indian and Pakistani officials over the previous 48 hours.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the cease-fire agreement a “positive step” and “hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
Trump has said he is ready to work to resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan and to help boost the economies of both nations.
“While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great Nations,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Additionally, I will work with you both to see if, after a ‘thousand years,’ a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir. God Bless the leadership of India and Pakistan on a job well done!!!”
The cease-fire follows weeks of escalating violence that began after a deadly April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir killed 26 civilians, most of them Hindu tourists. India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the assault — a claim Islamabad denies. The incident triggered a series of strikes, including reported missile and drone attacks, cross-border shelling, and cyberattacks.
India and Pakistan, which gained independence from 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 regards as its Atoot Ang — integral part — while Pakistan sees it as the “unfinished agenda of partition” of the subcontinent.
Kashmir is divided between three nuclear-armed neighbors, with India controlling about 45 percent, Pakistan about 35 percent, and China — following a brief war with India in 1962 — the remaining 20 percent.
Tens of thousands fled Indian-controlled Kashmir during the recent drone attacks and shelling by Pakistani forces.
Some have begun to return, although many remain hesitant, given the history of violence in the region.
“We will go back only after complete calm prevails,” Basharat Ahmed, who lives in Poonch district, was quoted by AP as saying. “It doesn’t take much time for the two countries to start fighting on the border.”
With reporting by RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal, AP, Reuters, and the BBC
Source: ceasefire-trump-sharif/33410773.html
Copyright (c) 2025. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
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