The North News
New Delhi, May 10
India and Pakistan have agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire across land, air and sea following a surprise diplomatic breakthrough brokered by the United States. India’s foreign secretary, Vikram Misri, confirmed the ceasefire development in a terse statement, noting that Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) had phoned his Indian counterpart at 15:35 IST. Both sides agreed to suspend military action beginning at 17:00 IST. Further talks between the DGMOs are scheduled for 12 May.
The announcement a few minutes after US President Donald Trump declared that talks had concluded with both nuclear-armed neighbours consenting to halt hostilities. “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 on Saturday. “Congratulations to both countries on using common sense and great intelligence,” he added.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar issued a nearly simultaneous statement echoing the ceasefire agreement.
The accord came just hours after a major doctrinal shift by New Delhi. In an early morning briefing, Indian officials declared that any future cross-border terrorist attack would be treated as an “Act of War”, escalating the stakes of any future conflict. The announcement followed a high-level security meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended by defence minister Rajnath Singh, national security adviser Ajit Doval, and top military and intelligence leadership.
The decision was triggered by last week’s deadly terror strike in Pahalgam and days of heightened hostilities along the Line of Control. Indian forces had responded with a barrage of air strikes deep into Pakistani territory, targeting military installations across Rafiqui, Murid, Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, and Chunian.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, in a morning press briefing, described the Indian military response as “swift, surgical, and restrained.” She said precision-guided munitions were used to avoid civilian casualties, and the strikes focused on command centres, radar systems, ammunition depots, and aviation hubs.
Qureshi also alleged that Pakistan had used civilian aviation corridors to mask troop movements. “Pakistani forces exploited commercial flight paths, complicating our operations and forcing us to act with extreme caution,” she said.
Meanwhile, Indian Wing Commander Vyomika Singh confirmed that multiple Pakistani incursions targeted Indian air bases in Udhampur, Bhuj, Pathankot, and Bathinda. Missile strikes also hit civilian infrastructure, including schools and hospitals. Singh said Indian forces destroyed a key terrorist launch pad near Looni, in the Akhnoor sector.
India rejected Pakistani claims of successful hits on strategic assets such as the S-400 missile system as “disinformation.” Singh dismissed the claims as “entirely baseless.”
