U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that India and Pakistan had agreed to a "full and immediate ceasefire" after a fourth day of strikes and counterstrikes against each other's military installations.
Pakistan's foreign minister also said both countries had agreed to a ceasefire "with immediate effect."
"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. Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agreement follows extensive negotiations by him and Vice President JD Vance with Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif and other top officials.
"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 said on X.
"We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace," he added.
The announcement came on a day when fears that the countries' nuclear arsenals might come into play spiked as the Pakistan military said a top military and civil body overseeing its nuclear weapons would meet.
But the Pakistani defense minister later said no such meeting was scheduled.
At the same time, officials from both sides showed a willingness for now to take a step back following the day's exchanges, while the civilian death toll on both sides of the border mounted to 66.
Pakistan's foreign minister, Mohammad Ishaq Dar, told local television earlier in the day that if India stops here, then "we will consider to stop here."
The Indian military said regarding Pakistan's military attacks on Saturday that "all hostile actions have been effectively countered and responded to appropriately."
Analysts and diplomats have long feared that conflict between the rivals could escalate into the use of nuclear weapons, in one of the world's most dangerous and most populated nuclear flash point regions. Unlike India, Pakistan does not have a "no-first-use" doctrine.
Rubio called Pakistan's Army Chief Gen. Asim Munir and India's foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, on earlier Saturday, urging both sides to de-escalate and "re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation."
"India's approach has always been measured and responsible and remains so," Jaishankar said on X after the call with Rubio.
As tensions soared, residents across Pakistan and India had rushed to stockpile food and other essential supplies, while families living near the border fled to safer areas.
Pakistan early on Saturday said it had targeted multiple bases in India, including a missile storage site in India's north, in response to prior attacks by the Indian military.
India said there was limited damage to equipment and personnel at four air force stations. The military said there were several high-speed missile attacks on airbases in Punjab state and that India had responded to the attacks.
Five civilians were killed in the attacks in the Jammu region of Indian Kashmir, regional police said. Hindu-majority India and Islamic Pakistan both claim Kashmir in full but rule it in part.
Blasts rang out across Indian Kashmir and the Sikh holy city of Amritsar in neighboring Punjab until the early morning Saturday. Jammu streets were empty hours after loud blasts were heard and projectiles were seen flying across the city sky.
"Jammu city has never been hit before. Never thought we will be hit like this," said 60-year-old Rajeev Gupta, whose brother was wounded by a shell.
Pakistan said that, before its offensive, India had fired missiles at three airbases, including one close to the capital, Islamabad, but Pakistani air defenses intercepted most of them.
Locked in a longstanding dispute over Kashmir, the two countries have engaged in daily clashes since Wednesday when India launched strikes inside Pakistan on what it called "terrorist infrastructure." Pakistan vowed to retaliate.
Pakistan's information minister said in a post on X that Saturday's military operation had been named "Operation Bunyanun Marsoos." The term is taken from the Quran and means a firm, united structure.
India said its strikes on Wednesday, which started the latest round of clashes that left more than 65 people dead in both countries, were in retaliation for a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir last month.
Pakistan denied India's accusations that it was involved in the tourist attack. Since Wednesday, the two countries exchanged cross-border fire and shelling, and sent drones and missiles into each other's airspace.
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