India and Pakistan Keep at it…..

“Pakistan appreciates the United States for facilitating this outcome, which we have accepted in the interest of regional peace and stability,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan said on social media.

As night set in, though, there were signs that the cease-fire was not holding. Cross-border firing was reported in some areas of the Indian part of Kashmir, the disputed territory at the heart of India and Pakistan’s conflict.

A senior Indian official confirmed that there had also been firing along the border between the two nuclear-armed countries. In addition, the official said, Pakistani drones had appeared over Indian-administered Kashmir and the Indian state of Punjab.

Vikram Misri, India’s foreign secretary, flatly accused Pakistan of breaking the truce, telling reporters there had been “repeated violations of the understanding arrived between the two countries today.” He said India would respond and “deal strongly” with the violations.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry then put out a statement saying that the country remained committed to the “faithful implementation” of the cease-fire and that it was India that had broken the truce. “Notwithstanding the violations being committed by India in some areas, our forces are handling the situation with responsibility and restraint,” it said.

The current crisis began last month with a deadly terrorist attack in the India-controlled part of Kashmir. India accused Pakistan of being involved in the attack; Pakistan denied that claim.

High tensions spiraled into a military confrontation on Wednesday when India launched airstrikes on Pakistan, setting off intense rounds of fighting with drones and missiles. By Saturday morning, each country was striking the other’s air bases.

Here’s what else to know:

• U.S. involvement: Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Saturday that he and Vice President JD Vance had engaged with senior officials from both countries, including their prime ministers, over 48 hours. In addition to the cease-fire, India and Pakistan also agreed to “start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site,” Mr. Rubio said.

• Other diplomatic efforts: Several countries with close ties to both India and Pakistan, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, had been working for days to try to cool the conflict. The United States, the European Union and China had all urged maximum restraint from Pakistan and India as fears grew of a full-blown war.

• Global relief: Leaders around the world expressed relief after the announcement of a cease-fire. David Lammy, Britain’s foreign minister, said on social media that the cease-fire was “hugely welcome.” He added: “I urge both parties to sustain this. De-escalation is in everybody’s interest.” The German Foreign Office said on social media that the agreement to halt fighting was a “first, important step out of the escalation spiral.”

• Drone war: This was the first time India and Pakistan used attack drones on a large scale against each other. Both India and Pakistan have been developing their own drones, and they also import them. Most of the drones they deployed this week appeared to be one-way Kamikaze drones, which have become ubiquitous in the Russia-Ukraine war