Pakistan PM says ceasefire deal ‘marks a new beginning’

Pakistan PM says ceasefire deal ‘marks a new beginning’

Chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir says ‘explosions heard’ in Srinagar

Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir, has reported a potential break in the ceasefire.

“What the hell just happened to the ceasefire? Explosions heard across Srinagar!!!” he wrote in a post on X.

It was not immediately clear what the source of the reported explosions was.

We will bring you more information as we get it.

Srinagar residents confirm explosions

A number of residents in Srinagar have told Al Jazeera that they heard multiple loud explosions in the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir.

Parts of the city, meanwhile, have been hit by an electricity blackout.

As we previously reported, local Chief Minister Omar Abdullah wrote on social media a short while ago that explosions were “heard across Srinagar”.

Srinagar-based journalist reports explosions, projectiles

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Srinagar, journalist Umar Mehraj says he heard explosions and saw projectiles in the sky.

“We’re also hearing the loud explosions in Srinagar, similar to what was heard early Saturday and in the afternoon. Air sirens are all across, and there’s a power shutdown,” he said.

“I can see projectiles flying, projectiles in the sky. It’s very unclear if they are missiles or air defence intercepting these attacks. Similar reports of the explosions are being heard in Baramulla and Jammu,” said Mehraj.

“The situation on the ground is very tense after these loud explosions. Everyone ran for safety,” he said, adding he could not confirm if there were any casualties.

‘This is no ceasefire’: Top Indian-administered Kashmir official

Minutes after reporting the sound of explosions in Srinagar, Omar Abdullah, the chief minister of Indian-administered Kashmir, has shared a video online with the following caption: “This is no ceasefire. The air defence units in the middle of Srinagar just opened up.”

Truce first important step out of the escalation spiral: Germany

Germany has welcomed as a first step the ceasefire agreed to by India and Pakistan after days of deadly attacks.

“The ceasefire agreed between India and Pakistan is a first, important step out of the escalation spiral. Dialogue is key,” the German foreign office said in a post.

Explosions in Srinagar cause panic, fear

The latest explosions in Srinagar have plunged residents back into fear and uncertainty.

“There was a moment of relief when the ceasefire was announced,” Madiha Farooq, who lives in the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, told Al Jazeera.

“Our extended family had just gathered for tea to feel some normalcy. But suddenly, loud blasts shook the air. We panicked, turned off the lights, and huddled together in a corner.”

Electricity was cut off across multiple localities, adding to the confusion. With no official clarification on the nature of the blasts, some residents described feeling “abandoned and unprepared”.

“These were not like the earlier sounds,” said another Srinagar resident. “One of the blasts was so powerful it made the walls tremble. Authorities are not clarifying what is going on; we do not have any shelters, nor did we hear any sirens. We do not know what to do. There is only fear.”

How did the fighting begin?

The ceasefire comes after four days of attacks and counter-attacks by both sides that killed at least 60 people and saw thousands of civilians flee their homes along their border as well as in divided Kashmir.
    
The fighting was touched off by an attack last month in the Indian-administered side of Kashmir that killed 26 tourists, mostly Hindu men, which New Delhi blamed on Islamabad.
    
India accused the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba – a UN-designated terrorist organisation – of carrying out the attack, but Islamabad has denied any involvement and called for an independent probe.
    
Armed groups have stepped up attacks in Kashmir since 2019, when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu-nationalist government revoked its limited autonomy and took the state under direct rule from New Delhi.
    
The countries have fought several wars over the territory, which both claim in full but administer separate portions of Kashmir since gaining independence from British rule in 1947.

Reported violations a reminder of how precarious ceasefire remains

Osama Bin Javaid, Reporting from Lahore, Pakistan

People are welcoming the ceasefire, but we are also reminded how precarious it is.

Ceasefire violations are already happening across the Line of Control in the disputed Kashmir region.

We’ve been hearing from local sources that there has been an exchange of fire in multiple locations in the Kashmir region, and there are some projectiles that have entered the Pakistani airspace as well.

So all in all, the United States is saying the ceasefire is a welcome move, and these two countries are going to try to patch up their differences and work towards a wider solution.

But the ground reality is that in order for any of it to work, the guns must fall silent.

Pakistan PM says ceasefire deal ‘marks a new beginning’

In an earlier post on X, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has framed today’s ceasefire as the beginning of a wider movement towards stability in the region.

“Pakistan believes this marks a new beginning in the resolution of issues that have plagued the region and prevented its journey toward peace, prosperity and stability,” he wrote.

He also stressed the role of the Trump administration in the ceasefire, thanking not only the US president for his “leadership and proactive role”, but also Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Rubio.

“Pakistan appreciates the United States for facilitating this outcome, which we have accepted in the interest of regional peace and stability,” he said.

Anti-aircraft gunfire after drone spotted over Pakistan’s Peshawar: Report

The Associated Press is quoting residents as seeing a drone over the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, prompting authorities to activate air defences.

A reporter heard anti-aircraft gunfire, but it remained unclear who operated the drone, the news agency said.

There was no immediate comment from Pakistani officials.

Blackout in India’s Kutch district after drones spotted

A complete blackout will be implemented in the Kutch district of Gujarat state in western India after drones were seen in the sky, according to Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi.

Multiple explosions were heard in two big cities of Indian-administered Kashmir hours after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire deal.

Cross-border shelling and gunfire were also reported from at least five places along the Line of Control, a de facto frontier that divides disputed Kashmir between two nuclear-armed nations.

Here are the latest developments

Apparent violations of the ceasefire have been reported just hours after it went into effect, with explosions heard and projectiles seen in Srinagar in Indian-administered Kashmir and elsewhere.
    
Citizens on the ground have expressed panic and fear, with sources telling Al Jazeera that projectiles also entered Pakistan’s airspace.
    
Still, Pakistan’s prime minister says he hopes the ceasefire will represent a new path to wider regional stability.
    
International reaction has continued to roll in about the ceasefire, with UN chief Antonio Guterres saying he hoped it would lead to “lasting peace”.

UN chief hopes India-Pakistan ceasefire will contribute to ‘lasting peace’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the ceasefire deal, calling it a “positive step” that should lead to peace, according to his spokesperson.

Guterres “hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries”, Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Ceasefire ‘only a first step’, say South Asia peace campaigners at London vigil

Demonstrators have held a vigil in London, welcoming the ceasefire but also calling for more action towards lasting peace.

The protesters who gathered at Parliament Square held placards reading “United against war”, “We stand with Kashmir” and “Diaspora, say no to war”.

“We’ve got families in India and Kashmir and Pakistan, we’ve got friends who we’ve been very, very worried about in recent days, so there’s definitely something to celebrate,” Kalpana Wilson, of the South Asia Solidarity Group, which organised the protest, told the crowd.

“But we are also coming together to demand a real, meaningful peace – a ceasefire can only be a first step,” Wilson added, calling for de-escalation and the reinstatement of the Indus Waters Treaty.

Kashmir residents monitor projectiles in the sky

Projectiles have been seen in the sky over Srinagar just hours after a Pakistan-India ceasefire was announced.

Reporters on the ground say residents in the city in Indian-administered Kashmir have been anxiously monitoring the situation.

So far, there has been no reports of casualties and it’s unclear if any projectiles have landed.

‘Nobody wants war’: Indian-administered Kashmir residents react to ceasefire

Anas Khan, a resident of Kupwara, said he found out about the ceasefire via Trump’s tweet.

“We are happy to see this. This is a good thing. Nobody wants war. No solution could be found with war,” he said.

“It is only through dialogue. Talks and dialogue are the only way to find a solution.”

Nazram Ali, another resident of the city in Indian-administered Kashmir, also weighed in.

“We were facing a lot of troubles in the last four-five days due to the cross-border shelling,” he said.

“The whole village was tense and troubled. From children to the elderly, everyone stayed indoors during the day and moved to different villages in the night due to the firing. We are very happy that there is a ceasefire.”

Indian foreign secretary says military will ‘deal strongly’ with ceasefire violations

Vikram Misri has responded to the reported ceasefire violations.

“For the last few hours, there have been repeated violations of the understanding arrived at earlier this evening between the director generals of military operations of India and Pakistan,” Misri said during a briefing.

“This is a breach of an understanding arrived at earlier today,” he said.

“The armed forces are giving an adequate and appropriate response to these violations. We call upon Pakistan to take appropriate steps to address these violations and deal with the situation.”

Misri said India’s military has been given instructions to “deal strongly” with any truce violations.

Jammu and Kashmir minister warns of ‘heavy firing’

An Indian minister in the Jammu and Kashmir government is warning of “heavy firing at (the) border”.

Satish Sharma posted on Facebook, urging residents not to rush back to their homes along the Line of Control (LoC).

“I appeal to the people of Chhamb Constituency that stay at safer places and don’t rush back to homes at LoC as the Ceasefire announcement might not have travelled to all the places (and) people,” he said.

“We’ll coordinate your return to homes,” he added.