The two nuclear-armed countries agreed to start talks on a “broad set of issues at a neutral site,” U.S. says.
India and Pakistan on Saturday agreed to a ceasefire after four days of escalating attacks, calming worries about a war between the two nuclear-armed countries.
“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,” U.S. President Donald Trump announced in a post on Truth Social on Saturday. The two sides later confirmed that a ceasefire deal had been reached.
The two governments agreed “to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a separate post on social media. Rubio said that he and U.S. Vice President JD Vance over the past 48 hours “have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials” to bring about the ceasefire.
Top military officials from the two sides will hold discussions on Monday, the Times of India reported.
The two sides early Saturday had exchanged some of the heaviest airstrikes since their armed confrontation began on Wednesday, prompting further calls for deescalation between the nuclear-armed states.
India’s army in a post on X had accused Pakistan of “blatant escalation with drone strikes and other munitions” along the country’s western borders saying that the army “will thwart enemy designs.” India had accused Pakistan of harboring terrorist groups that carried out a deadly attack on tourists last month in India-controlled Kashmir. Pakistan has denied involvement.
The two countries have fought a series of wars since gaining their independence from Britain in 1947, largely over the Kashmir region, to which both sides lay claim.
The escalating confrontation has raised fears of an all-out war between the two nuclear-armed nations. India is estimated to have 180 nuclear warheads and Pakistan 170. India’s nuclear doctrine states that it “has a posture of ‘No First Use’ nuclear weapons,” although in more recent years it cast ambiguity over this doctrine. Pakistan has not declared a no first use policy.
This scenario has prompted alarm across the globe and diplomatic efforts are underway to defuse the crisis. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and other countries with strong ties to both India and Pakistan reportedly are trying to stop the conflict.
