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India and Pakistan agree to ceasefire after weeks of tensionsCNN correspondents explain what we know about the India and Pakistan ceasefire
CNN correspondents explain what we know about the India and Pakistan ceasefire
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• Ceasefire reached: India and Pakistan have agreed to a halt in fighting after back-and-forth strikes deepened fears of a wider conflict. Officials from both countries said the ceasefire is now in effect, but within hours, India accused Pakistan of violating the deal and blasts were heard in both India- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
• Overnight diplomacy: US President Donald Trump made the surprise ceasefire announcement after what he said was a night of talks mediated by Washington, spurred by the US receiving alarming intelligence. An Indian source downplayed US involvement, while Pakistan’s prime minister praised Washington’s role in the talks.
• Kashmir massacre: Heightened tension between the neighboring states was sparked by a massacre of tourists last month in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for the attack and launched “Operation Sindoor” Wednesday in both Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Islamabad has denied involvement in the killings.
• A history of war: Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan each control parts of Kashmir but claim it in full and have fought three wars over the territory.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri accused Pakistan of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement on Saturday, after explosions were heard in both the India- and Pakistan-administered parts of Kashmir.
“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,” Misri said in a televised address Saturday night.
“This is a breach of the understanding arrived at earlier today. The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response and take very serious notice of these violations,” he said.
Misri said India is calling on Pakistan to take “appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation with seriousness and responsibility.” He added that India’s military has been instructed to “deal strongly” with violations of the ceasefire along the border and the Line of Control in Kashmir.
Pakistan has not yet publicly responded to Misri’s allegations. Pakistan’s prime minister is scheduled to speak late this evening local time.
The sounds of multiple explosions were heard over Pakistan-administered Kashmir early Saturday evening local time.
In videos shared with CNN from the Bhimber district, dozens of explosions can be heard reverberating through the sky in rapid bursts. The videos also appear to show specks of light, possibly projectiles flying through the air.
A local government source told CNN that the explosions were attacks from the Indian side of the Line of Control, the mutually agreed upon ceasefire line in Kashmir.
CNN is unable to verify these claims and has reached out to the Pakistan and Indian militaries for comment.
Explosions on the Indian side: This comes after blasts rocked Srinagar in India-administered Kashmir earlier Saturday. Witnesses and at least one Indian government official in Kashmir and the border states of Punjab and Gujarat also reported drone sightings and the sound of nearby explosions.
CNN’s Esha Mitra contributed reporting to this post.
Pakistan is prepared to engage in “constructive diplomacy” with India, the country’s foreign ministry said today, adding that it wants to resolve all issues “including the Jammu and Kashmir Dispute, through peaceful means.”
The lengthy written statement — issued in the hours after a ceasefire had been agreed between India and Pakistan — sought to explain and clarify Islamabad’s actions and motivations in recent days.
“Despite facing blatant Indian aggression and persistent provocations, Pakistan exercised great restraint. However, it was constrained to respond to ensure the safety and security of its people,” according to the statement.
The ministry also said Pakistan is calling on the international community to play its part in preventing any further escalations between the two nuclear-armed states.
A core group of top US officials — including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State and interim national security adviser Marco Rubio and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles — had been closely monitoring the escalating conflict between India and Pakistan when on Friday morning, the US received alarming intelligence, Trump administration officials told CNN.
While they declined to describe the nature of the information, citing its sensitivity, they said it was critical in persuading the three officials that the US should escalate its involvement.
Vance himself would call Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Behind the scenes: Vance briefed President Donald Trump on the plan, then spoke with Modi at noon eastern time on Friday, making clear to the Indian prime minister that the White House believed there was a high probability for dramatic escalation as the conflict went into the weekend, the administration officials said. Vance encouraged Modi to have his country communicate with Pakistan directly and to consider options available for de-escalation, the officials said.
At that point, the officials said, the US believed the two sides were not talking, and they needed to get them back to the bargaining table. Vance also outlined to Modi a potential off-ramp that the US understood the Pakistanis would be amenable to, the officials said, though they did not offer details.
Following the call, State Department officials, including Rubio, began working the phones with their counterparts in India and Pakistan through the night, the sources said.
The Trump administration was not involved in helping draft the agreement, the administration officials said, and viewed their role mostly as getting the two sides together to talk. But from the US perspective, Vance’s call to Modi was a critical moment.
Strong blasts were heard across the city of Srinagar in India-administered Kashmir just hours after a ceasefire was announced between India and Pakistan.
“What the hell just happened to the ceasefire? Explosions heard across Srinagar,” Omar Abdullah, chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said in a post on X.
A CNN stringer reported a host of explosions on Saturday evening local time followed by a blackout. The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.
The India-Pakistan conflict was taking a dramatic turn for the worse, pitching the nuclear-armed neighbors into a dangerous spiral of tit-for-tat strikes.
Then, out of the blue, President Donald Trump on Saturday said the US had brokered an end to the fighting. On his Truth Social platform, he made the surprise announcement that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire — all the more unexpected as, just days before, Vice President JD Vance insisted the conflict was “fundamentally, none of our business.”
But escalating attacks deep inside Indian and Pakistani territory seem to have focused minds. Just hours before, India had struck Pakistani military bases, provoking a furious retaliation from Pakistan, which launched rockets, artillery and drone strikes on dozens of locations in India.
There are conflicting accounts of how the ceasefire was negotiated. While Islamabad praised US involvement, New Delhi downplayed it, saying the neighbors had worked together “directly” on the truce.
Whatever the US role was exactly, the White House was probably pushing on an open door. It is in neither India’s nor Pakistan’s interest for the conflict, sparked by a terror attack in disputed Kashmir last month, to continue.
The truce is also exactly the kind of quick deal Trump hoped he could secure elsewhere, such as in Ukraine, where conflict has been dragging on for nearly three and a half years. In comparison, the most recently intensified fighting between India and Pakistan seems to be over after just three and a half days.
US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said that the ceasefire reached between India and Pakistan was a result of several conversations between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance over the past 48 hours between top officials in each country.
“It was a beautiful partnership,” Bruce said on News Nation. “This was the result of the Vice President JD Vance, of course, this entire government moving through the vision and implementing the insight and vision of President Trump along with of course, my guy, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.”
What India and Pakistan say: India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, however, did not mention US involvement when announcing the agreement, and an Indian statement said the deal was worked out “directly” between the two countries. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump claimed this morning that the ceasefire was brokered by the US.
But a Pakistani government source familiar with the negotiations told CNN that the US — and Rubio in particular — played a crucial role in getting both sides to agree.
“It’s been a long 48 hours, but this is the point of what we do,” Bruce continued. “Multiple phone calls at multiple levels with each government were had, certainly with the prime ministers over this period of time. Back-and-forth conversations and both, again JD Vance, our vice president, and the secretary of state clearly making a difference.”
“We look forward to hopefully managing more conversations and having this endure,” she added.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked US President Donald Trump for his role in brokering a ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan, as the two countries offer differing accounts on Washington’s involvement in the talks.
“We thank President Trump for his leadership and proactive role for peace in the region,” Sharif wrote on X, about three hours after Trump first announced the ceasefire.
“Pakistan appreciates the United States for facilitating this outcome, which we have accepted in the interest of regional peace and stability,” Sharif said, adding that Saturday’s agreement could beckon “a new beginning” for peace in the region.
Sharif also thanked Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their “valuable contributions.”
Since the ceasefire was announced, the Indian government has downplayed the US’ reported efforts, while Pakistani officials have amplified them.
After an intense day of fighting that threatened to spiral out of control, India and Pakistan unexpectedly agreed to an immediate ceasefire, halting the worst fighting in decades between the nuclear-armed neighbors.
Although the United States has claimed credit for the agreement, questions remain about how it was reached — and whether it will last.
Here are the latest developments:
As a ceasefire was announced between India and Pakistan on Saturday, President Donald Trump hailed the role of the United States in mediating, and Pakistan praised it — but India downplayed it.
In their long history of tensions, India and Pakistan have both viewed foreign intervention differently:
“India has never accepted mediation in any dispute, be it India-Pakistan or India-China, or any other,” according to Aparna Pande, research fellow for India and South Asia at the Hudson Institute.
“So yes, India welcomes international pressure on Pakistan, but it will never state that there was a role by any other country or international organization,” she said.
“Pakistan, on the other hand, has always sought international mediation, so they will praise it,” she added, saying it is “the only way it can put pressure on India to discuss and resolve the Kashmir dispute.”
Some context on Kashmir: The territory has been a flashpoint in India-Pakistan relations since both gained their independence from Britain in 1947.
The ruler of Kashmir initially decided to remain independent, choosing not to become a part of either Pakistan or India. After militants from Pakistan invaded, he signed a letter acceding to India. Pakistan did not recognize the letter as a legal document, sparking war. In 1949, the two countries agree to withdraw all troops behind a mutually agreed ceasefire line, later known as the Line of Control.
To this day, both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in full and have fought multiple wars over it.
A Pakistani government source familiar with the negotiations that led to a truce with India said that the United States played a crucial role in them.
The agreement came after an intense day of fighting that left both sides fearing the tit-for-tat strikes could spiral out of control, the source told CNN, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Shock over strikes: The source said both sides were progressing toward an agreement on Friday, but said that Islamabad was blindsided by New Delhi’s targeting three Pakistani air bases with air-to-surface missiles early Saturday morning local time.
Pakistan’s government believed that a diplomatic off-ramp had been close and was shocked by the strikes, the source said.
In response, Pakistan fired back a much bigger salvo that targeted air bases in India, as well as military targets near the line of control in the disputed Kashmir region. “An eye for an eye,” the Pakistani military said in a statement Saturday morning.
The source said that New Delhi had been shocked by the scale of Pakistan’s response, and that both sides then “got serious” about engaging in peace talks later Saturday.
Even as the talks kicked into high gear, the source said India fired more rockets, with Pakistan responding. But US assurances meant that the talks continued, the source added.
US steps in: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio played a “monumental role” in mediating the discussions, according to the source, who said that officials from Saudi Arabia and Turkey were also involved.
By mid-afternoon, neither side had launched fresh strikes. Two hours later, the ceasefire was announced, the source said.
The source was not sure how Rubio convinced India to agree to the deal. Indian officials have, however, downplayed the influence of US officials in brokering the agreement, with a source saying the truce was worked out “directly” with Pakistan.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy hailed the ceasefire announced by India and Pakistan as “hugely welcome.”
“I urge both parties to sustain this. De-escalation is in everybody’s interest,” he added in a post on X.
Meanwhile, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Issues Kaja Kallas said the announced ceasefire “is a vital step toward de-escalation.”
She added: “All efforts must be made to ensure it is respected.”
Pakistan has fully reopened its airspace for all fights across the country, following a ceasefire announcement between Pakistan and India.
A spokesperson for Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) earlier said the country had closed its airspace to all air traffic — including civilian flights — starting at 3:15 a.m. local time on Saturday (6:15 p.m. Friday ET) until noon local time.
The ceasefire between India and Pakistan was agreed to “directly” between the two countries, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Saturday, echoing what a source on the Indian side told CNN earlier.
The statement, which was shared on social media by the Indian government, comes despite US President Donald Trump’s announcement that the ceasefire was the result of a night of US mediation.
According to the Indian statement, an agreement was reached after Pakistan’s director general of military operations initiated a phone call Saturday afternoon local time.
“The stoppage of firing and military action between India and Pakistan was worked out directly between the two countries,” reads the statement, which was shared by India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
An Indian source had previously provided the same statement to CNN.
On potential future talks: The Indian government also said there had been no decision reached to hold talks “on any other issue at any other place.”
A readout from the US State Department had said Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered help to mediate “in order to avoid future conflicts,” and Rubio wrote on X that the two sides had agreed to “start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri has also said that the directors general of military operations of the two countries are scheduled to speak again on Monday.
What Islamabad is saying: Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in an X post shortly after Trump’s announcement that “Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect.” Rubio held a call with Dar as well.
This post has been updated to reflect a statement from the Indian government and additional comments from Rubio.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire, which came into effect starting at 5 p.m. local time (7:30 a.m. ET).
During a news conference, Misri said that Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) held a phone call with his Indian counterpart earlier on Saturday afternoon local time. During the call, it was agreed that both sides “would stop all firing and military action” from 5 p.m. Indian Standard Time.
Misri added that the directors general of the two countries are scheduled to speak again on Monday.
India said an “understanding” was reached between New Delhi and Islamabad to stop the military action that had erupted between the two neighbors, according to sources on the Indian side.
“The stoppage of firing and military action between India and Pakistan was worked out directly between the two countries,” a source said.
They continued that Pakistan’s director general of military operations (DGMO) initiated a call on Saturday afternoon local time, “after which discussions took place and understanding reached.”
“There is no decision to hold talks on any other issue at any other place,” the source added.
US President Donald Trump announced earlier on his Truth Social platform that the two sides had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire,” which was confirmed by Pakistan’s foreign minister on X minutes later.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire “with immediate effect,” confirming US President Donald Trump’s announcement on his Truth Social platform.
“Pakistan has always strived for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Dar added, in a post on X.
The surprise ceasefire announcement came after India and Pakistan continued to accuse the other of strikes overnight into Saturday.
US Vice President JD Vance, who just days ago claimed the conflict between India and Pakistan was “none of our business,” has also shared President Donald Trump’s announcement of a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed countries.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday, Vance had downplayed the potential for US influence as the India-Pakistan conflict spiraled.
“What we can do is try to encourage these folks to deescalate a little bit, but we’re not going to get involved in the middle of war that’s fundamentally none of our business and has nothing to do with America’s ability to control it,” Vance told Fox News on Thursday.
“You know, America can’t tell the Indians to lay down their arms. We can’t tell the Pakistanis to lay down their arms. And so, we’re going to continue to pursue this thing through diplomatic channels,” Vance said.
Vance shared a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post announcing the ceasefire on Saturday, but did not immediately provide further comment.
Pakistan’s foreign minister and Indian sources confirmed the halt in fighting shortly after Trump’s surprise announcement.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says India and Pakistan showed “prudence” in agreeing to a ceasefire after a spate of deadly attacks against each other that brought them close to a broader conflict.
“I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site,” Rubio wrote Saturday on X, minutes after President Donald Trump first announced the ceasefire with a post on Truth Social.
Rubio praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shehbaz Sharif for “their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.”
Earlier Saturday, Rubio spoke with the foreign ministers of both countries, the State Department said.
Pakistan has confirmed the truce but there has been no comment yet from India.
India and Pakistan have agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” following a night of talks mediated by the US, President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
“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,” the US president said.
“Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence.”
Neither side has commented yet on Trump’s statement - we’ll bring you the latest as we get it.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister said that retaliatory strikes against India on Saturday had specifically targeted military infrastructure New Delhi had used to launch its earlier attacks in “a powerful and well-coordinated response.”
Earlier Saturday, Pakistan’s military said it launched an operation against India, in retaliation to India launching missiles at key military bases, including one close to the capital Islamabad.
Hours later, explosions were reported in India-administered Kashmir, including Srinagar, the region’s largest city, and the city of Jammu.
The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.
Pakistan launched the strikes on Saturday as part of ‘Operation Banyan al-Marsous,’ Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement issued by his office.
Sharif said Pakistan had on Saturday given “a powerful and well-coordinated response to India’s unprovoked aggression,” and accused India of launching “missile and drone attacks on Pakistan, targeting Noor Khan Airbase and other locations early this morning, killing innocent civilians.”
“Today, we have delivered a resounding reply and avenged the blood of the innocent,” Sharif said. “We are proud of our armed forces.”
The information minister for Pakistan-administered Kashmir said that 11 people were killed, including a child, and 56 others were injured in “intense” overnight Indian shelling along the Line of Control (LoC).
“Last night, intense shelling from the Indian side took place at more than five different locations along the Line of Control,” Pir Mazhar Saeed Shah said Saturday.
“As a result, 11 people, including a child and four women, lost their lives, and 56 others were injured.”
He continued that, so far, 1,014 people have been relocated from the LoC – the de-facto border separating the India- and Pakistan-administered parts of the disputed territory that has been a flashpoint in the recent hostilities – to safer areas.
In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, Indian shelling has damaged 235 homes, 29 of which have been completely destroyed, Shah said. He added that two small hospitals along the LoC were also targeted by Indian shelling, causing partial structural damage to the buildings.
The latest confrontation between India and Pakistan continued Saturday, with Islamabad launching a military operation in retaliation to what it said were Indian strikes on its military bases overnight. India’s military said it “effectively countered and responded” to Pakistan’s operation.
Witnesses have recounted the moment blasts were heard in Srinagar, India-controlled Kashmir’s largest city, on Saturday morning.
Explosions were reported in India-administered Kashmir, including Srinagar, the region’s largest city, and the city of Jammu, on Saturday morning. The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.
Local residents living near the city’s airport told CNN they heard multiple blasts in their vicinity. A Reuters witness reported that the explosions were heard near the city’s airport and the local army headquarters.
“I heard sounds of three blasts one after the other from the airport. This happened around noon. I was at my home with family when we heard all this and were caught off guard,” 28-year-old Rafique Ahmed, who lives close to the airport, told CNN.
Ahmed continued, “Earlier in the morning, I had heard around 5:45 a.m. there were sounds of blasts as well. There were sirens that followed these explosions.”
“We are staying inside our house to be safe. Let’s see what happens.”
Another witness, Madeeha, who lives just over a mile from the airport, said, “I heard these blasting sounds early morning around 5:45 a.m. first and then around noon as well around.”
Madeeha continued, “We all got frightened this morning. We rushed down to the ground floor to stay there. Based on our own experience we know that we need to rush to the lower floors for security reasons, as the higher floors are more likely to get hit.”
India’s military said Pakistan’s retaliatory military operation against India targeted “places of worship” including a Hindu temple.
“Multiple armed drones have been sent through the night, endangering civilians and religious sites,” India’s defense ministry wrote in a statement on X.
One of the places targeted was the Shambhu Temple, a popular religious site in Jammu city in India-administered Kashmir. Residential areas in Jammu were also targeted, the statement said.
Early Saturday, Pakistan said it launched an operation against India, in retaliation to India launching missiles at key military bases, including one close to the capital Islamabad.
Explosions were reported in India-administered Kashmir, including Srinagar, the region’s largest city, and the city of Jammu.
Indian officials confirmed the death of at least one person on Saturday as a result of Pakistan’s military operations.
The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir confirmed a government official, district development commissioner Raj Kumar Thappa, was killed in shelling on the city of Rajouri in India-administered Kashmir.
“I’ve no words to express my shock & sadness at this terrible loss of life. May his soul rest in peace,” Minister Omar Abdullah wrote in a post on X.
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri also confirmed Thappa’s death, telling reporters in a news conference that his death added “to the civilian casualties and the damage in that state.”
Pakistan and India launched retaliatory military operations on each other on Saturday, escalating the conflict further, after days of accusing each other of taking escalatory steps.
Islamabad said early Saturday it had launched an operation against India, in retaliation to India launching missiles at key military bases. Pakistan said its air defenses had intercepted most of India’s missiles.
Later, India’s Wing Commander Vyomika Singh said Pakistan “targeted civilian areas and military infrastructure,” including medical and educational buildings in India-administered Kashmir, while speaking during the news briefing alongside other senior officials.
Pakistan has not responded to comments made during the news briefing.
The weeks-long confrontation between India and Pakistan escalated further on Saturday, with Islamabad launching a military operation in retaliation to what it said were Indian strikes on its military bases overnight.
The nuclear-armed neighbors are now locked in their most expansive military conflict in decades, even as the international community calls for calm and restraint.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered Washington’s help in mediating amid the escalations.
Here’s what to know about the latest exchanges:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered US mediation in the escalating conflict between Pakistan and India while speaking separately with his counterparts in both countries, according to State Department readouts.
Rubio spoke with India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar in separate calls, during which he “emphasized that both sides need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation,” according to the readouts.
He also spoke earlier with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir, during which he “continued to urge both parties to find ways” to de-escalate.
The secretary of state offered US help to mediate “in order to avoid future conflicts,” the readout said.
This is the first such offer of US assistance mentioned in readouts of his calls with Pakistani or Indian officials.
Pakistan’s foreign minister said Saturday that if India stops its escalatory actions, so will Islamabad.
“If there is an iota of sanity, India will stop and if they stop, so will we,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on camera while speaking with a local TV station.
“We genuinely want peace without the hegemony of any one country,” Dar said.
His comments come after India and Pakistan launched a fresh round of military operations on each other on Saturday and accused each other of taking escalatory steps.
India says it “effectively countered and responded” to Pakistan’s military operation early Saturday.
Pakistan “targeted civilian areas and military infrastructure,” including medical and educational buildings in India-administered Kashmir, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh alleged, during a media briefing in New Delhi alongside other senior officials.
“Air intrusions and several harassment attacks were attempted” at more than 26 locations along India’s international border and the de facto border dividing Kasmhir between Indian and Pakistani control, Singh said.
Pakistan’s military “also resorted to air intrusions using drones and firing of heavy caliber weapons” along the disputed border in Kashmir, Singh said. She added Pakistan used a high-speed missile to target an air base in Punjab state, inside India’s undisputed borders.
The Indian army “responded effectively,” causing “extensive damage” to Pakistan army infrastructure. Singh said the Indian side sustained “limited damage.”
Pakistan’s military “has been observed to be moving its troops towards forward areas, indicating an offensive intent to further escalation,” the Indian commander said. “Indian armed forces remain in a high state of operational readiness, and all hostile actions have been effectively countered and responded proportionately.”
Pakistan has not responded to comments made during the news briefing.
Earlier, Pakistan said it launched a retaliatory operation against India after India launched strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, against what it called “terrorist infrastructure.”
No questions were taken during the news briefing.
This post has been updated with additional information.
China said it is “deeply concerned” about escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, and vowed to play a “constructive role” in de-escalation.
“China is closely following the current situation between India and Pakistan and is deeply concerned about the escalation,” a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
“We strongly urge both sides to prioritize the broader interest of peace and stability, remain calm and restrained, and return to the path of political resolution through peaceful means,” the spokesperson added.
“Avoiding further escalation is in the fundamental interests of both India and Pakistan, conducive to regional peace and stability, and aligns with the expectations of the international community. China stands ready to continue playing a constructive role in this regard.”
Some context: China, which borders both India and Pakistan, has repeatedly called for calm and restraint amid the looming risk of war on its doorstep. Its Foreign Ministry expressed regret and concern on Wednesday after India launched strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, against what it called “terrorist infrastructure.”
Late last month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expressed support for Pakistan in a phone call with his counterpart, calling China an “ironclad friend” of Pakistan’s.
Pakistan is Beijing’s “all-weather strategic partner” and a key participant in Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature global infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative. China is Pakistan’s primary arms supplier, accounting for 81% of the country’s weapons imports over the past five years.
The International Monetary Fund’s executive board on Friday approved an approximately $1 billion loan disbursement to Pakistan, a relief for the country facing a lingering economic crisis and now an escalating conflict with India.
The immediate disbursement comes as part of a $7 billion bailout Pakistan secured from the IMF after years of negotiations, according to a statement.
The IMF also approved a new $1.4 billion under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility, its climate resilience fund — but those funds will not be released yet.
While Pakistan had long been working to secure this deal, India asked the IMF for a broader review of its loans to Islamabad earlier this month, as the conflict heightened.
Delhi’s objection: India said it raised concerns at the IMF meeting Friday about “the possibility of misuse of debt financing funds for state sponsored cross border terrorism,” according to a press release from the Indian Ministry of Finance.
Some context: The loan disbursement comes as Pakistan’s economy has been suffering major challenges in recent years, including a debt crisis and economic turmoil as a result of political instability and climate catastrophes. A military stand-off with India would threaten any progress.
“Sustained escalation in tensions with India would likely weigh on Pakistan’s growth and hamper the government’s ongoing fiscal consolidation, setting back Pakistan’s progress in achieving macroeconomic stability,” credit agency Moody’s said in a report earlier this week, according to the Reuters news agency.
“A persistent increase in tensions could also impair Pakistan’s access to external financing and pressure its foreign-exchange reserves,” it added.
The escalating conflict between India and Pakistan has reached “alarming proportions,” one analyst has said, after Islamabad said it launched an operation against its neighbor in retaliation to recent “Indian aggression.”
“This crisis has reached alarming proportions,” said Washington-based South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman, adding there seem to be “no immediate off-ramps in site.”
Pakistan’s military said early Saturday it had launched an operation against India in retaliation to India launching missiles at key military bases, including one close to the capital Islamabad.
The rapid escalation of conflict between the neighboring states was sparked by a massacre of tourists last month in India-controlled Kashmir.
India and Pakistan have already fought three wars over Kashmir, a contested region they both claim in its entirety, with each controlling a part. Another conflict could have catastrophic consequences.
“Each round of tit-for-tat strikes takes India and Pakistan further up the escalation ladder, but neither side appears willing to claim victory and call it a day,” said Kugelman.
“The escalation dynamics are extremely concerning here.”
Explosions have been reported in India-administered Kashmir, hours after Pakistan said it launched a retaliatory military operation against its neighbor.
At least two blasts were heard early Saturday in Srinagar, the largest city in India-administered Kashmir, a journalist on the ground told CNN.
The sound of explosions was also heard in the city of Jammu, a resident and former top police official for India-controlled Kashmir, Shesh Paul Vaid, told the Associated Press.
The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear.
The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday night appealed to people in and around the city of Jammu to stay at home.
“It’s my earnest appeal to everyone in & around Jammu please stay off the streets, stay at home or at the nearest place you can comfortably stay at for the next few hours,” Omar Abdullah wrote on X.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Pakistani army chief Asim Munir on Friday and offered US mediation, according to a State Department readout.
Rubio “continued to urge both parties to find ways to deescalate,” the readout said, adding that he offered US assistance “in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts.”
This is the first such offer of US assistance mentioned in readouts of his calls with Pakistani or Indian officials.
India is currently responding to Pakistani attacks, an Indian official with knowledge of the matter told CNN’s Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Matthew Chance.
“All Pakistani attacks are being responded to appropriately by the Indian Armed Forces,” the official said.
The Pakistani military said early Saturday it had begun an operation against India in retaliation against recent “Indian aggression,” saying
India had launched missiles at key military bases
.
Pakistan’s military claims it has hit multiple targets in India and India-administered Kashmir.
Here are some Indian military targets they say they have struck:
Most of these locations are near or along the de facto border that divides the disputed Kashmir region between New Delhi and Islamabad. Pathankot, in Punjab state, and Suratgarh, in Rajasthan state, are airfields inside India’s undisputed borders.
The Pakistan military said that, in an “eye for eye” retaliation, they targeted the Indian air bases that were used to launch missiles against Pakistan.
CNN cannot independently verify Pakistan’s claim regarding India’s strikes. CNN has reached out to India’s Ministry of Defense and the Indian Air Force for a response.
The Pakistani military said it launched an operation against India on Saturday morning in retaliation to recent “Indian aggression.”
The announcement came shortly after Pakistan said India had attacked several of its military air bases. Right after Pakistan made this claim, its government posted on X to say that “India must now prepare for Pakistan’s response.”
CNN cannot independently verify this claim. CNN has reached out to India’s Ministry of Defense and the Indian Air Force for a response.
What Islamabad says about Indian strikes in Pakistani territory:
CNN cannot independently verify the Pakistani military claim. CNN is seeking comment from the Indian military.
Airspace closure: Pakistan closed its airspace to all air traffic on Saturday, according to a Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) spokesperson. The closure, which started at 3:15 a.m. local time (6.15 p.m. Friday EST), will apply to all civilian flights in the country until noon local time Saturday.
Kashmir has been a flashpoint in India-Pakistan relations since both gained their independence from Britain in 1947. The two nations to emerge from the bloody partition of British India — Muslim-majority Pakistan and Hindu-majority India — both claim Kashmir in full, and months after becoming independent, fought their first of three wars over the territory.
Here’s a quick recap:
1947: India and Pakistan gain independence from Britain. The ruler of Kashmir initially decides to remain independent, choosing not to become a part of either Pakistan or India. After militants from Pakistan invade, he signs a letter acceding to India. Pakistan does not recognize the letter as a legal document, sparking war. In 1949, the two countries agree to withdraw all troops behind a mutually agreed ceasefire line, later known as the Line of Control.
1965: India and Pakistan go to war again over Kashmir. The clash did not resolve the dispute over the territory.
1971: This was the biggest war fought between the two countries, which led to a humiliating loss for Pakistan and the creation of the state of Bangladesh from the region formerly known as East Pakistan.
1999: India and Pakistan fight a limited border conflict in Kashmir, after armed invaders from Pakistan cross the Line of Control in the town of Kargil.
India on Wednesday said it launched a military operation against Pakistan, hitting “terrorist infrastructure” in both Pakistan and Pakistan administered-Kashmir, in a major escalation of tensions between the two neighbors and in response to an attack on tourists in India-administered Kashmir on April 22.
Here’s what you need to know about the attack in Kashmir:
What happened: Gunmen opened fire on tourists in a popular travel destination in the mountainous destination of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir. At least 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national were killed in the massacre, which unfolded in a valley only accessible by foot or on horseback. Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror as the gunmen approached, opening fire on people from close range. Some recalled how the men among the group were singled out and shot at. Other survivors told local media the gunmen accused some of the victims of supporting India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Who claimed responsibility: Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front (TRF), claimed responsibility for the attack on social media but it has reportedly since walked back that claim, according to multiple local media reports. Pakistan has denied involvement. India has not publicly blamed any group for the attack but has justified its retaliatory moves as a response to Pakistan’s alleged “support for cross-border terrorism.”
Some background: India has long accused Pakistan of harboring Islamist militant groups that target Kashmir, something Islamabad denies. Attacks by militants have in the past led to a sharp escalation of tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, both of whom have rival claims to the Himalayan region. India conducted air strikes inside Pakistan in 2019 following an insurgent attack on Indian soldiers.
Kashmir has been a flashpoint in India-Pakistan relations since both gained their independence from Britain in 1947.
The two nations to emerge from the bloody partition of British India both claim Kashmir in full, and months after becoming independent, fought their first of three wars over the territory.
The divided region is now one of the most militarized places in the world.
For decades, several domestic militant groups, demanding either independence for Kashmir or for the area to become part of Pakistan, have fought Indian security forces, leaving tens of thousands killed in the violence.
But attacks on tourists in the picturesque Himalayan region are rare.
Tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir have surged in recent years, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government revoked its constitutional autonomy in 2019, bringing it under the direct control of New Delhi.
By the numbers, India’s military would be seen as superior to Pakistan’s in any conventional conflict.
The Indian defense budget is more than nine times Pakistan’s, according to this year’s edition of “The Military Balance,” an assessment of armed forces by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
That budget supports an active-duty Indian force of almost 1.5 million personnel, compared to 660,000 for Pakistan.
On the ground, India’s 1.2 million-strong army has 3,750 main battle tanks and more than 10,000 artillery pieces, while Pakistan’s tank force is only two-thirds of India’s and Islamabad has fewer than half of the artillery pieces in New Delhi’s arsenal.
At sea, the Indian navy’s advantage is overwhelming. It has two aircraft carriers, 12 guided-missile destroyers, 11 guided-missile frigates and 16 attack submarines.
Pakistan has no carriers and no guided-missile destroyers, with 11 smaller guided-missile frigates being the backbone of its naval fleet. It also has only half the number of subs that India fields.
Both air forces rely heavily on older Soviet-era aircraft, including MiG-21s in India and the Chinese equivalent – the J-7 – in Pakistan.
India has been investing in multirole French-made Rafale jets, with 36 now in service, according to “The Military Balance.”
Pakistan has added Chinese J-10 multirole jets, with more than 20 now in its fleet.
Though Pakistan still has dozens of US-made F-16 fighters, the backbone of its fleet has become the JF-17, a joint project with China that came online in the early 2000s. About 150 are in service.
Russian-made aircraft play a significant role in India’s air fleet, with more than 100 MiG-29 fighters in service with the air force and navy combined, plus over 260 Su-30 ground attack jets.
The rivals are closer in capabilities when it comes to nuclear forces, with around five dozen surface-to-surface launchers each, though Indian has longer-range ballistic missiles than Pakistan.
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