Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister on Saturday welcomed the ceasefire announcement between India and Pakistan saying it was better late than never, shortly after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced both the countries have agreed to stop firing and military action from 5 pm today.
“I wholeheartedly welcome the India-Pakistan ceasefire announcement. Better late than never—had it happened two days earlier, we might have avoided the bloodshed and the precious lives lost. But finally, the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) from both India and Pakistan spoke over the phone and agreed to re-establish the ceasefire across all sectors,” the chief minister told reporters outside his residence.
Asserting it is now the duty of the Jammu and Kashmir administration to assess the damage in the affected regions, he said, “Now, it is the responsibility of the administration to assess the damage caused in affected areas and begin providing relief to the people without delay.”
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, in a press briefing, announced that both sides will stop all firing and military action from land, air, and sea from 5 pm onwards starting today, adding that the DGMOs will talk again at noon on May 12.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also posted on X that “India and Pakistan have today worked out an understanding on stoppage of firing and military action.”
“India has consistently maintained a firm and uncompromising stance against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. It will continue to do so,” he wrote.
“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote.
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A day after Pakistan launched cross-border drones targeting multiple places in Jammu and Kashmir, apart from other parts of the country, CM Omar Abdullah Friday asked it to focus on “de-escalation” and said that the continuation of hostilities will only hurt the neighbouring country.
“The back-to-back cross-border attacks on Thursday night – first around 9 pm and then again at 4.30 am – clearly show an attempt by Pakistan to escalate. However, they will be the ones to suffer the most,’’ Abdullah said. “Pakistan gains nothing from this, nor will they succeed.”
India did not create the crisis, he added. “We had to respond as our people were attacked in Pahalgam and innocent civilians were killed.”
Describing the strikes on Jammu Thursday night as “one of the most severe assaults’’ since the 1971 Indo-Pak war, he said: “The way civilians have been targeted and the kind of attacks carried out in the city, I don’t think Jammu has been targeted like this earlier.”