A ceasefire between India and Pakistan seems to have, after the two parties have accused themselves of initial violations, because a worried calm has settled after the days of the worst fighting between nuclear neighbors for decades.
The Indian army sent a “hotline message” to Pakistan on Sunday on the violations of a agreed ceasefire, informing it of New Delhi’s intention to answer if this was repeated, said a high Indian army officer.
The Director General of Military Operations of India (DGMO) met on Sunday while a 24-hour fragile cease-fire seemed to hold after the two parties blamed the other for initial violations on Saturday evening.
The truce announced on Saturday several days of missiles and drones drawn on each country through their common border, killing nearly 70 people.
Diplomacy and pressure from the United States have helped to conclude the cease-fire agreement when it seemed that the conflict was moving towards a large-scale war. In the hours after its entry into force, there were explosions in the cashmere administered by the Indians, the center of a large part of the fights last week.
The explosions of air defense systems exploded in cities near the border under a power failure, similar to those heard in the two previous evenings, according to local authorities, residents and witnesses.
“Sometimes these understandings take time to fruit, manifest themselves on the ground,” said Lieutenant-General Rajiv Ghai, the Indian DGMO, referring to the truce. “THE [Indian] The armed forces were on a very, very high alert [yesterday] And continue to be in this state. »»
The head of the Indian army had given a mandate to his commanders to face “violations of all kinds” through the borders in the best way they judge well, added Ghai.
He said that his Pakistani counterpart called him on Saturday afternoon and proposed that the two countries would stop hostilities “and urgently asked for a cease-fire.
There was no immediate response to the Indian comments of Pakistan. Early on Sunday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said it was attached to the truce agreement and blamed India for violations.
President Donald Trump announced the ceasefire on Saturday, saying that he was reached after the talks mediated by Washington.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said India and Pakistan also agreed to start talks on “a large set of questions on a neutral site”.
While Islamabad thanked Washington for facilitating the ceasefire and welcomed Trump’s offer for mediaking the cashmere dispute with India, New Delhi did not comment on the involvement of the United States in the break or discussions on a neutral site.
India maintains that disputes with Pakistan must be resolved directly by the two countries and rejects any third -party involvement.
Trump congratulated the leaders of the two countries on Sunday for agreeing to stop the assault and said that it would “substantially” increase trade with them.
India Hindu-Majjjj and Pakistan, a majority of Muslim, reigns each part of the disputed cashmere but claim it in whole, and went to war twice against the Himalayan region.
India reproaches Pakistan for an insurrection in its part of the territory, but Pakistan says that it only provides moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri separatists.
“A difficult night in border areas”
Among the most affected by fighting, there were residents on each side of the border, many of whom fled their homes when the fights began on Wednesday, two weeks after a deadly attack in the Pahalgam of Kashmir administered by the Indians who declared that India was supported by Islamabad.
Pakistan denied the accusation.
Osama Bin Javaid from Al Jazeera, postponing Lahore, in Pakistan, said that it was “a difficult night for many people in border areas”.
“People said there were bombings in the early hours of the morning and throughout the evening, even after the cease-fire announcement,” said Bin Javaid.
Although people are cautious, they “do not return to them yet because they believe that it is not yet finished,” he said, adding that there have been damage to several villages on the other side of the control line.
Overall, however, “there is jubilation and a celebration,” added Bin Javaid.
In the Indian border town of Amritsar, which houses the Golden Temple revered by the Sikhs, people returned to the streets on Sunday morning after a siren has sounded to report the resumption of normal activities after the tension of the last days.
“Since the terrorists attacked people in Pahalgam, we have closed our stores very early and there was uncertainty. I am happy that there is no bloodshed on both sides,” said Satvir Singh Alhuwalia, 48, a merchant in the city.
Another local resident noted “calm” and “happiness” throughout the cashmere valley since the announcement of the ceasefire.
“You can feel it in the air … But there seems to be a little bit of fear. asked Mueeb Banday.
“”[Kashmiris] I want … a lasting peace, so that we can go and live our lives, think about our future, improve our lives. »»
In some border areas, however, people were still invited not to go home. In the city of Kashmir administered by the Indians, the city of Baramulla, the authorities warned the residents to stay away due to the threat posed by unplodced ammunition.
“People here welcome us well, but just as a bird feels in peace in its own nest, we also feel comfortable only in our own houses, even if they have been damaged,” said Azam Chaudhry, 55, who fled his house in the Pakistani city of Khuiratta and was now said to wait until Monday before returning.
In the Kashmir Uri administered by the Indians, a key power plant that has been damaged in a Pakistani drone attack is still in repair.
“The project underwent minor damage … We stopped the generation because the transmission line was damaged,” said an NHPC official managed by the state, the largest hydroelectric company in India, who did not want to be identified.
