Washington: US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced a “full and immediate ceasefire” between India and Pakistan.
He shared no details of the negotiations or the ceasefire.
Secretary of State Rubio said in a State Department statement that he and Vice-President J D Vance conducted these talks.
“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,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns.
“Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
Secretary of State Rubio said in a separate statement: “Over the past 48 hours, Vice President Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik.
“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.
“We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.”
In his conversations with the External Affair Minister and Ishaq Dar of Pakistan, Secretary of State Rubio offered US mediation without mentioning the word mediation, which President Trump went ahead and used in his post on Truth Social, for conflicts in the future.
“Secretary Rubio emphasised that both sides need to identify methods to de-escalate and re-establish direct communication to avoid miscalculation,” Tammy Bruce, the State Department spokesperson said in an early Saturday morning statement of the call between Rubio and Jaishankar. “He further proposed US support in facilitating productive discussions to avert future disputes.”
To Dar he “offered US assistance in starting constructive talks in order to avoid future conflicts”.
(IANS)
