India and Pakistan both claim victory after ceasefire declared

India and Pakistan have both claimed victory after a ceasefire was declared over the weekend, which brought the two nuclear-nations back from the brink of war.

After days of escalating clashes that culminated in both sides launching missile and drone strikes on each other’s major military bases – the closest they had come to full-scale war in decades – the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was declared by Donald Trump on Saturday evening.

On Sunday, Trump further congratulated the two countries on “having the strength, wisdom and fortitude to fully know and understand that it was time to stop the current aggression that could have led to the death and destruction of so many, and so much”.

Within hours of the truce announcement, there were fears it had fallen apart after firing restarted along the disputed border in Kashmir and missiles and drones were once again launched into Indian-administered Kashmir.

However, by Sunday morning things were quiet on both sides of the frontier, leading many to hope the fragile peace would hold. Each side accused the other of triggering the violations and Pakistan said it remained “committed to faithful implementation of ceasefire”.

The Indian army said in a press briefing it had conveyed a message, through its “hotline” with Pakistan, that if there were any more cross-border provocations “our firm and clear intent to respond to these fiercely”.

Both India and Pakistan claimed the ceasefire as a victory, fuelling a surge of nationalistic fervour on both sides of the border. India’s defence minister, Rajnath Singh, said on Sunday the “roar of Indian forces reached Rawalpindi, the very headquarters of the Pakistani army”.