Pakistan violates ceasefire hours after US mediation, yet Trump hails talks as a success

Despite mediation by US President Donald Trump between India and Pakistan, the ceasefire agreement between the two south Asian countries was violated just hours after it was brokered – raising questions about the effectiveness.

Although the ceasefire was violated on Saturday night (Indian Time), Trump took to his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday to celebrate the ceasefire, saying:

“I am very proud of the strong and unwaveringly powerful leadership of India and Pakistan... Millions of good and innocent people could have died!”

However, the reality on the ground told a starkly different story. Mere hours after the agreement, Pakistan reportedly violated the ceasefire, with air defence units activated in Srinagar. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah tweeted:

“This is no ceasefire. The air defence units in the middle of Srinagar just opened up.”

Border cities that had briefly resumed normalcy were again plunged into darkness, as authorities reinstated blackouts until 6 am Sunday. Meanwhile, Indian forces responded to drone intrusions from Pakistan on Saturday morning, marking another breakdown in trust and coordination.

Critics argue that the US administration, while quick to claim diplomatic victory, failed to put in place any mechanism to enforce or monitor the ceasefire, allowing violations to occur unchecked. Trump’s celebratory tone appeared disconnected from the situation on the ground, especially as tensions visibly escalated in the immediate aftermath of the announcement.

Trump further added in his post:

“While not even discussed, I am going to increase trade, substantially, with both of these great nations... I will work with you both to see if, after a ‘thousand years,’ a solution can be arrived at concerning Kashmir.”