A ceasefire between India and Pakistan appears to be holding, after both sides accused each other of initial violations, as an uneasy calm has taken hold following days of the worst eruption of fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades.
The Indian military sent a “hotline message” to Pakistan on Sunday about violations of an agreed-upon ceasefire, informing it of New Delhi’s intent to respond if this was repeated, a top Indian army officer said.
India’s Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) was speaking on Sunday as a fragile 24-hour-old ceasefire appeared to be holding after both sides blamed the other for initial violations on Saturday night.
The truce announced on Saturday halted several days of missiles and drones being fired at each country across their shared border, killing almost 70 people.
Diplomacy and pressure from the United States helped secure the ceasefire deal when it seemed that the conflict was spiralling towards a full-scale war. Within hours of its coming into force, there were explosions in Indian-administered Kashmir, the centre of much of last week’s fighting.
Blasts from air-defence systems boomed in cities near the border under a blackout, similar to those heard during the previous two evenings, according to local authorities, residents and witnesses.
“Sometimes, these understandings take time to fructify, manifest on the ground,” Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai, the Indian DGMO, told a media briefing, referring to the truce. “The [Indian] armed forces were on a very, very high alert [yesterday] and continue to be in that state.”
The Indian army chief had given a mandate to its commanders to deal with “violations of any kind” from across the borders in the best way they deem fit, Ghai added.
He said his Pakistani counterpart called him on Saturday afternoon and proposed the two countries “cease hostilities” and urgently requested a ceasefire.
There was no immediate response to the Indian comments from Pakistan. Early on Sunday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry had said that it was committed to the truce agreement and blamed India for the violations.
US President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire on Saturday, saying it was reached after talks mediated by Washington.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said India and Pakistan had also agreed to start talks on “a broad set of issues at a neutral site”.
While Islamabad has thanked Washington for facilitating the ceasefire and welcomed Trump’s offer to mediate on the Kashmir dispute with India, New Delhi has not commented on US involvement in the truce or talks at a neutral site.
India maintains that disputes with Pakistan have to be resolved directly by the two countries and rejects any third-party involvement.
On Sunday, Trump praised the leaders of both countries for agreeing to halt the aggression and said he would “substantially” increase trade with them.
Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan each rule a part of disputed Kashmir but claim it in full, and have twice gone to war over the Himalayan region.
India blames Pakistan for an insurgency in its part of the territory, but Pakistan says it provides only moral, political and diplomatic support to Kashmiri separatists.
‘A tough night in border areas’
Among those most affected by the fighting were residents on either side of the border, many of whom fled their homes when the fighting began on Wednesday, two weeks after a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam that India said was backed by Islamabad.
Pakistan denied the accusation.
Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Lahore, Pakistan, said it was “a tough night for a lot of people in the border areas”.
“People said there was shelling in the early hours of the morning and throughout the evening, even after the announcement of ceasefire,” Bin Javaid said.
Although people are cautious, they’re “not coming back yet to their homes because they believe that this is not over yet”, he said, adding that there has been damage in several villages across the Line of Control.
Overall, however, “there’s jubilation and celebration,” Bin Javaid added.
In the Indian border city of Amritsar, home to the Golden Temple revered by Sikhs, people returned to the streets on Sunday morning after a siren sounded to signal the resumption of normal activities following the tension of recent days.
“Ever since the terrorists attacked people in Pahalgam, we have been shutting our shops very early and there was an uncertainty. I am happy that at least there will be no bloodshed on both sides,” said Satvir Singh Alhuwalia, 48, a shopkeeper in the city.
Another local resident noted the “calm” and “happiness” throughout the Kashmir Valley since the ceasefire announcement.
“You can feel it in the air … but there seems to be a bit of fear, as well. Will it hold, given the past history of both these nations?” asked Muteeb Banday.
“[Kashmiris] want … long-lasting peace, so that we can go and live our lives, think about our future, make our lives better.”
In some border areas, however, people were asked not to return home just yet. In the Indian-administered Kashmir city of Baramulla, authorities warned residents to stay away due to the threat posed by unexploded munitions.
“People here are hosting us well, but just as a bird feels at peace in its own nest, we also feel comfortable only in our own homes, even if they have been damaged,” said Azam Chaudhry, 55, who fled his home in the Pakistani town of Khuiratta and has now been told to wait until Monday before returning.
In Indian-administered Kashmir’s Uri, a key power plant that was damaged in a Pakistani drone attack is still under repair.
“The project has suffered minor damage … We have stopped generation as the transmission line has been damaged,” said an official from state-run NHPC, India’s biggest hydropower company, who did not want to be identified.